Green Design and Architecture

Building LEADIA: What is Community?

Gathering People My Nuvali Home

In 2011, I was living in Nuvali, an ecocity in the Philippines. I’d just built my first home and documented my journey to sustainable living in a blog, MyNuvaliHome.

I’m now incorporating that blog into Montalut, and came across abrasive comments on my About section, where I shared the Why of my blog. Reading between the lines, one can tell that the person was angry at something, yes, and it was at the promise of Nuvali.

When you’re building something out of the future, all you have is your vision of it. You are emerging something new, something that doesn’t yet exist. To see it too, some people need a proof of concept that it’s been done before or that you’ve built a prototype of sorts. Some need more than that–they want to feel it directly benefiting them before they jump in. If the benefits fall short of the promise, they bite.

And yet a few already see the future with you, and choose to journey with you.

Reading that comment today made me recall what community is, at least to me.

Here’s the reply I wrote back in 2012, and it still rings true today:

Nuvali is a beautiful place that I’ve personally invested in, and it’s just one of the many new developments in the South that seeks to address the congestion problem in Metro Manila.  Anything can happen years from now, but as someone who’s already betting on this community, I also hope to be an active part of what will make it truly a home — along with my future neighbors and those looking to contribute to and benefit from alternative communities like this.

Community is what we make of it, and as with anything in life, you get what you give. You give nothing, and you get nothing back. You give love and joy, and you get love and joy back.

Off to Bali to check out creative communities on the island! (2017)

Green Design and Architecture

First published on July 12, 2017. Reposting these from my old (now deleted) IG account.

Here’s a peep at the 5am sky with the full moon saying goodbye in the distance.

Hello from #Ubud! Video is from Yoga Barn, which pretty much lives up to the image I had of Bali in my head: green, dreamy, and with a whirling energy that doesn’t seem to land.

This time last year I was in Chiangmai where I first encountered Laughing Yoga. I loved it there and found solace in the cuckooness around. #Bali seems to be a place where iterations of #cuckoo are born everyday. We shall see how the next few days pan out.

Now having lunch with ducks and a ricefield as company and a cool breeze just made me pull out my jacket. 😎
#creativecommunities #alayaPH

Remembering the expansive ricefields of Bali (2017)

Enterprise and Wealth Creation Green Design and Architecture

First published on July 23, 2017. Reposting these from my old (now deleted) IG account.

Here’s a vid of my pretty friend Liudmila and I trying to overcome being camera shy and showing you 2 of the 5 intentional energy pavilions of #VisionVillas. These pavilions were built in relation to the Chinese elements of Wood, Fire, #Earth, #Metal and Water, each with its attendant energy and intention. We’re standing next to the Metal or Steel pavilion that inspires answers to the question #How?

What a brilliant idea to dedicate physical spaces in our homes with #energy #intentions.

1st stop in Bali: Green School (2017)

Green Design and Architecture

First on the #Bali agenda is a visit to The Green School, which like most #alternative schools, was put up in 2008 out of need. Inspired by Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, the Hardys created a #natural #school for their own children that was aligned with #sustainability. From 90 kids, there are now over 400 kids at the #GreenSchool. The students are on summer break so we were able to take our time exploring this morning.
#creativecommunities #alayaPH

First published on July 13, 2017. Reposting these from my old (now deleted) IG account.

My absolute favorite place in the #GreenSchool: the #river. We visited one classroom where you could hear it flowing and wow what an everyday environment to be in. I’m not sure how I’d be able to sit still and listen to a teacher with a river calling out to me like that.
#Bali #creativecommunities #alayaPH
I loved this! Walking through the Bamboo “forest” in the Heart of School, the community center of the Green School. The Japanese kids behind me were also having a good time 🤗👍 #Bali #creativecommunities #alayaPH

Day 2 in Bali: Visiting the Green Village (2017)

Slow Travel Green Design and Architecture

Next up: The #GreenVillage, a compound with 13 bamboo houses and villas about 5 mins away from the Green School. We’re going to see 2 houses today, I’m super excited.

First published on July 13, 2017. Reposting these from my old (now deleted) IG account.

Did you know that there are over 300 species of #bamboo? How to spot good bamboo: 1) White fungus means it is over 3 years old and ready for harvest, 2) A broken top means it is wet inside and won’t get strong. 3) Bamboo with more leaves is better–leaves absorb the moisture and keep the bamboo dry. 👍
#bamboo101 #greenvillage #Bali #creativecommunities #alayaPH
Shown here is the #saltwater #pool by the cafe and waiting area. Really hope the rain lets up!
#Bali #creativecommunities #alayaPH
The piece de resistance of the Green Village’s #RiverHouse. Breathtaking view of the Ayung #River set against the greens of Bali. House tour to follow.

#Bali #creativecommunities #alayaPH #Sustainable #architecture #bamboo
Open air bedroom facing the Bali jungle. A super upgraded bahay kubo.
#GreenVillage #RiverHouse #Bali #creativecommunities
A staple in #GreenVillage houses: #Skylight using polycarbonate and bamboo.
Another showstopper: round glass doors. Talk about a grand entrance. My first drawing of my dream house had round hobbit doors! L-R: Take a guess at what’s inside those pointy huts. Three layers of roofing. Open concept living area with veranda.
How they built these bamboo houses on sloping land, usually 400sqm in size: massive bamboo poles from Java with 40cm steel rod inside, poured in with 40cm of concrete and embedded in a layer of stone. It takes workers about 3 months to lay the foundation and another 6 months to do finishing and interiors.

#bamboo101 #bamboo #GreenVillage #RiverHouse #Bali #creativecommunities

Natural #stoneware in the bathrooms and #kitchen. Love these black stones.😍 One big caveat in bamboo houses: no candles or flames allowed!
#GreenVillage #bamboohouse #Bali #creativecommunities #alayaPH

What are collaborative home environments?

Green Design and Architecture Vision and Manifesto

It’s my big #dream to #build a #community of #creatives, #entrepreneurs and #techies on a farm next to the mountains and sea. I’ve called the concept coliving to myself for a while now and only recently learned it’s an actual thing happening all over the world! So glad this idea resonates with a growing number of people.

The idea of communal living is not alien to Filipinos (or most Asians).    Most of us grew up sharing a home with our extended families, which schooled us on shared personal space early on.  We have helpers who co-raise us with our parents, and we readily call people in the neighborhood, blood-relatives or not, uncle-aunt-brother-sister.

When I talk about cohousing or coliving to friends in the Philippines, I get poker faces because for the most part, it’s nothing new.  If anything, it’s the default that most Pinoys want to move away from.  We want fenced in houses, gated communities,  thick walls between us and our neighbors.  Anything that gives us more privacy, more security, boundaries.

So what drew me to coliving and cohousing to begin with?

Intention.  Living together with people because of a shared vision.  Like attracts like.   Before I decided to build a house in Nuvali, I explored intentional communities and sought them out in the Philippines.   I’m not a hippie but my brothers like to tease that my lifestyle choices make me the uncool tita or aunt.  I went raw vegan for a while, love solo travel, have no television.  For someone who grew up in a group-oriented culture, I’ve always been more comfortable doing things by myself.  I guess I always looked for other people like me, so we could be individual together.

The definitions of coliving and cohousing stretch far and wide, but the general idea I’m taking from them is this:  I wish to gather people , who more or less share my values, in a place where we can all hang out everyday (i.e. live and work).   The physicality of it is important, and it is what I insist on:  environment is so big in shaping daily habits, thoughts, and intentions.   This is space-clearing on a group level, translated onto property or real estate development.

Collaborative Home Environments

Montalut I Build Collaborative Home Environments

It’s about building the shrine without to build the shrine within.  Our environment shapes us and it makes perfect sense to align our everyday living environment–our homes–with our core values.

A friend who does feng shui consulting once told me that all the effort in the world to improve one’s fortune or luck wouldn’t make a difference if he or she didn’t first change or address the negative energies in his or her living space.

What would a collaborative home environment espouse?

Collaborative Home Environments
face-to-face
conversations
diverse
open economy
healing		 beautiful
inspiring
warm
root-building
identity base
nurturing
safe space		 orderly
open/flexible design
visionary
accessible
affordable/democratic
authentic
respectful
natural + high tech
complete
practical
set up to succeed
set up to nurture
set up to propel

What makes a home?

  • Not disconnected from nature and the cycles of life:  birth, decay and death, cleaning, waste management, food production
  • rest
  • gathering
  • restorative

What can’t people live without?

  • Water supply: potable and gray water
  • Sources of food: wet market, dry goods
  • Toiletries
  • Laundry
  • Recreation
  • Fitness
  • Private space

Back to homemaking

My Nuvali Home

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Spotted at the mall yesterday — chair leg covers! Didn\’t even realize these things existed. Bravo Daiso!

I haven\’t bought anything for the house in over three months, and I think every homebuilder can relate to this: there just comes a point when you want to put down the builder\’s hat and go back to everyday life. This happened for me in a very pronounced way — I quit the hardware store (byebye True Value) cold turkey last December and decided I would stop spending for home renovations or decor.

Yesterday I remembered something a friend shared years ago: once you have a house, you\’ll forever be renovating and restyling. So true. Little pick-me-uppers that don\’t hurt the pocket are a good way to get into the groove of being a homemaker once again… but this time I\’ll go at it slowly and remember to enjoy the process.

I think these leg warmers are a fun alternative to foam pads that come in uninspired white or black.

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Available at the Japan Home Store/Daiso.

Greening the roofdeck

My Nuvali Home

There\’s nothing like entertaining at home to raise the urgency of fixing up one\’s house.

My birthday\’s coming up and I\’ve already invited friends and family to come over for a housewarming/birthday barbecue, so I\’ve been pressured to finish a home project with which I\’ve been dillydallying: the roofdeck.

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This week, we greened the concrete floor surrounding the grass. The original plan was just to leave the concrete floor as is, unpainted and \”unfinished\”, to go with the industrial look of the rest of the house, but we had some cracking issues on the deck because of the exposure to rain and sun. Solution was to take out the cracking layer of pure concrete (puro), and apply flexibond plus elastomeric paint. I chose a garden green color to unify the grass and non-grass portions of the floor.

Next step is to put a wooden box to encase the soil, and then go furniture shopping.

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The grill is ready and waiting, and am happy to say that with the teak lounge chairs, the place is already coming together. Yay!

A must watch for every homebuilder…

Green Design and Architecture

…and anyone who’s ever imagined a dream home (that means you, me, and everybody)!

Groundbreaking episode of HOME BASE tomorrow, Saturday, April 28, 2012. This is a labor of love that my friends and I have been working hard on, hope you can watch and support!

From the team behind National Geographic Channel\’s Inside: Malacanang, we bring you a realty show that will help you build not houses but HOMES. Please watch the premiere telecast of HOME BASE, tomorrow, 9:00-9:30am back-to-back with the Season 3 pilot episode of TURBO ZONE, feeding drives of the motoring public, 9:30-10:00am on GMA News TV.

It’s a double date tomorrow morning! 🙂

Getting the wood grain look

My Nuvali Home

When it comes to finishing my doors and cabinets, am very thankful for Mang Romy, who is skilled in giving any piece of wood that beautiful hardwood look just by painting lines to resemble wood grain or haspe:

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The door primed in yellow before the wood grain finish:
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Stained (first coat):
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Here\’s Mang Romy working his magic on shelving in the bedroom:

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He\’s also transformed these ordinary wooden cabinet doors into textured ones with a softer and more natural look:

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As an aside, I came across this gem of a document on scribd while searching for the correct spelling of haspe — uploaded by Zy-rah de Chavez (thank you!):

english-tagalog construction terms

Very handy, thank you again to Zy-rah de Chavez for sharing.