From a stylistic perspective, Bobby Gopiao’s mandate to his architect, Jason Buensalido, was pretty straightforward. “I just wanted a simple, liveable vacation home where the outdoors interact with the living spaces,” says Gopiao, one of Manila’s top landscape designers, known among his circles for an exceptional art collection, award-winning bonsai plants, and museum-grade ethnographic artifacts. Gopiao was also clear about the real star of the project—Lucban’s magnificent landscape. He appreciated the undulating terrain and thick foliage of his property, parts of which also serve as a plant nursery, and respected the unique qualities of its ecosystem. “You can’t go against nature,” says Gopiao. “If you do, you’ll have a difficult time. In conceptualizing the landscape design, for example, you can’t grow most cycad varieties in Lucban because the environment is wet. It takes too much effort for them to survive, and they won’t look very healthy. Everything will be dictated..
