Putting down roots in a new home takes a lot of courage and effort because not only do you make a home for you and your family, but you also have to make new friends, become part of a community, and join activities in the area so you get the chance to meet new people and learn new things. It helps if you start rituals of enjoying the things you used to love doing in your previous home, only this time you’re doing them in new surroundings.
If you move to another country, there are the additional challenges of learning about a new culture, learning a new language, and learning how to build bridges with people in your community.
However, this post is not about the figurative meaning of putting down roots as in settling down in a new place. It is more about literally putting down roots in a place where nature takes precedence.
Letting Nature Lead
We’ve had articles about bringing nature into your home, or what is called biophilic design. We showed bringing in plants which are in pots or planters and putting these in strategic areas in your home. We also talked about having a seamless structure that allows the integration of exteriors with interiors.
Here is an article regarding architectural and interior designs that give plants priority in the home.
Another post about the healing power of indoor gardens also talk about “…the experience of nature in[to] a home whose rhythm beats more slowly and thoughtfully.”
Most of these posts were written during the pandemic, when people’s well-being hinged on the ability to enjoy nature.
Putting Down Roots in these Filipino Homes
I found a page in YouTube which has these two stunning Filipino homes that embody biophilic design. These are fantastic examples of what it means to live with nature.
Hill House
The Hill House, designed by Buensalido Architects, is the retreat home of landscape architect Bobby Gopiao.
As architect Jason Buensalido said in the video, “…the main idea behind this house is about sensitivity to forces both seen and unseen, and kind of allowing those forces to lead you in your decision making about the design of the house.”
Landscape architect Bobby Gopiao wanted a getaway place from his urban home in Metro Manila. He wanted a simple and low maintenance house that would have a very relaxed and peaceful ambience. Architect Gopiao remarked that this house was adapted to the site conditions; hence, the pavilions, stairs, and pathways “were all dictated by what was given to us by nature.”
Perched on a hill and surrounded by lush vegetation, this home has expanses of sliding glass doors, numerous windows, and open apertures to allow the seamless transitions between the nature outside and the interiors of the house.
Tauhai Villa
Tauhai is a Hiligaynon term that means a state of tranquility. That is what the owner, landscape artist and painter Ponce Veridiano wanted with Tauhai Villa, a home that took 10 years to build.
The unassuming entrance on the main street is a huge bamboo-clad pivot door that leads to a wide entryway. The lush green foliage and the murmur of a stream at the far end of the hallway mesmerize you to walk down the corridor that has hewn stone walls on both sides so you can get closer to nature.
Floor to ceiling wooden shutters make up the entire wall of the backside of the house. Natural light filters in through the bamboo grove across the stream facing the living spaces.
Bird song, the whisper of the leaves, the soft rattling sound of bamboo stalks, and the burble of the stream bring a feeling of awe and reverence for the quiet resplendence of nature.
Ode to Nature
These two homes are odes to nature. They express a profound spirituality of the individuals who built them and who hold in their hearts a deep respect for the natural world.
Architect Buensalido stated, “Designers, architects, homeowners, builders, developers—We have a tendency of wanting to take control, wanting to always be in control. And in the process, we end up forcing our will on a particular site, on a particular location. But what we learned in this process of letting go and letting nature take control is that sometimes it’s much more balanced, much more peaceful if you simply take your cues from nature just by being sensitive to it, by hearing and by listening to it.”
I hope that reading this post and seeing the videos will inspire you to welcome nature in your own home, and put down roots in the place that shelters your body and soul.
Subscribe to Let it B to get immediate notifications of new posts.
