Room to breathe in a well-connected city
Even in a bustling city, there should always be room to breathe.
Ayala Land Premier (ALP) has made this sense of openness a defining feature of Gardencourt Residences, a 2.1-hectare residential development in Arca South, Taguig City, where expansive spaces and landscaped gardens offer a welcome respite from the density of Metro Manila.
Here, five mid-rise residential towers are arranged around a 5,000-sqm private courtyard, with expansive lawns, landscaped walkways and recreational amenities designed to make outdoor living part of residents’ everyday routines.
Guests had an opportunity to experience this setting firsthand when Ayala Land Premier recently held “An Evening by the Gardens”, showcasing the development’s greenery, open spaces, and Molave, the first of five residential towers, which has begun welcoming its first homeowners.
Bringing nature indoors
Gardencourt’s emphasis on greenery extends to its shared amenity spaces, where Singapore-based Habitus Design Group, led by creative founder Samantha Drummond, designed interiors that complement the development’s garden-centered architecture.
For the Fitness Center, Garden Pavilion, Garden Lobby and Sky Terrace, Habitus incorporated bespoke furnishings, textured finishes, curated artworks and indoor greenery to create warm, inviting spaces that connect with the surrounding landscape.
In an exclusive interview with Inquirer Property, Drummond explained that she also drew inspiration from Filipino culture, particularly the creativity and craftsmanship she has come to appreciate through her years of living and working in the Philippines.
She explained that she wanted to bring more of this local character into urban developments, creating spaces that reflect the country’s cultural identity while meeting the increasingly sophisticated tastes of Filipino homeowners.
“I like to evoke an emotion with the spaces I design here. I would like to bring an authentic Philippine DNA to residential and hospitality [projects here] moving forward, wherein you walk into a room and you know you’re in the Philippines. I want to bring that to the urban environments,” Drummond told Inquirer Property.
Achieving that sense of place, she believes, begins with understanding the people who will use these spaces and the culture that shapes their daily lives.
“I think understanding the culture of the place you’re designing for is the most key ingredient. You need to immerse yourself in the local culture. You need to be part of it. You can’t just fly in, design something, and fly out,” she added.
A hyperconnected address
Gardencourt also draws a distinct advantage from its address in Arca South, Ayala Land’s 74-ha mixed-use estate in Taguig City, where ongoing commercial development and planned transport infrastructure are strengthening its position as an emerging business district.
Ayala Land Estates Group head Jaime Zobel Urquijo highlighted in particular four key infrastructure projects that are expected to serve or provide direct connections to Arca South: the Taguig City Integrated Terminal Exchange (TCITX), North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway, and the planned Skyway connection.
“All four [projects] will basically have stops [in] or connections to Arca South and that’s very unique,” Urquijo said.
“The fact that there are so many of these stations here is a game-changer for us. I think really leaning into that and figuring out how to integrate a lot of our development into public transport, mass transit has been a huge differentiator for us,” he further said in a separate interview with Inquirer Property.
Urquijo likewise highlighted Arca South’s emphasis on open space, building on Ayala Land’s expertise in developing major business districts, as seen in Makati and Bonifacio Global City.
According to Urquijo, Arca South’s masterplan allocates 40 percent of its land for roads and open spaces, with the rest divided among commercial, residential and retail uses. Building heights are also generally limited to around 20 floors because of the estate’s proximity to the airport, creating a more human-scale urban environment.
“It’s very unique to the way that Ayala Land develops. It really leaves a lot of breathing room,” Urquijo added.
And for Gardencourt Residences, that means being part of a vibrant city growing more connected, while still having ample room to breathe.
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