As one of the densest cities in the world, Manila is often confronted with the inevitability of building and designing upwards. High Gardens offers a holistic and healthy way of living by creating a self-sustaining ecosystem on its 8100 sqm plot area. Consisting of three towers – one office and two residential with retail spaces, High Gardens provides a community that promotes work, live and play. This development hopes to find the missing link in the Parañaque area where residents can find relief from the stresses of city life.
The massings of the residential buildings interlock to provide pocket gardens on each floor. These gardens not only serve as a to diffuse density but also as a connection space for the residents. On a larger scale, the elevated garden is a shared space between the three buildings. It functions as an atrium that can be viewed from the office and both of the residential towers. The residential towers come with a gym, pool, studios and function room to provide a holistic and integrated way of life. The facade is outlined to solidify continuity and high-end living.
Each of the two residential towers are intervened with openings to promote continuous airflow and visual transparencies. The corners are curved to encourage passive cooling and provide breathing spaces. The garden is elevated to the fifth floor to transform the ground floor as a host of desirable retail spaces. By elevating the garden, the complex prioritizes human activity over cars. The public promenade on the ground floor connects the various building programs into a continuous circulation. The design embeds connections at its core. Green spaces function to programmatically connect different building functions and as sanctuaries to reconnect with oneself in the midst of an alienating cosmopolitan.
