An icon is an expression of a people's understanding of place and of their place in time. The location of the site, between the city and the sea, inspired us to seek a form that would express the bridging of man and nature.
Throughout the history of civilization, man has sought to understand nature’s laws by exploring what is believed to be its hidden code – geometry. The Nautilus Shell has long symbolized the harmony and complexity found in the natural forms of nature, its curved form a perfect illustration of the golden section proportions. We propose this form as a fitting icon for the new development.
Looking towards the city, the structure is clad in a straight grid. Facing the sea, the structure is a curved grid that soars to the clouds.
The
city inspires the grid of the sun shade, which also brings to mind the grid of
fishing nets and the grid – if one looks very closely – of the Barong
Tagalog.
The
brise soleil, or sunbreaker, is
an architectural device popular in the Philippines in the 50s and 60s but whose
appropriateness to our climate and cultural context goes far deeper than
fashion. It is a modern version of the volada of
the traditional Filipino house, that outer layer of capiz
windows and persiana
louvers that shields the main body of the house from the elements of both sun
and rain. It takes on the sun in the
same way that the Barong keeps the sun away from the skin.
The spire of the Nautilus Shell is the tallest element of the structure, drawing people to the space inside.
