Batulao Artscapes: The World’s First Live-in Art Park

by Emelie Yabut Razon, Tatler Asia

A mountain range on the outskirts of Manila may be the last place you’d expect to find a world-class art museum, let alone four. But property magnate Robbie Antonio is determined to make his latest development, Batulao Artscapes, a must-see destination in Southeast Asia

ABOVE Robbie Antonio (Photo: Courtesy of Revolution Pre-crafted)

The recently announced Batulao Artscapes, located at the foot of the Philippines’ Mount Batulao, will be home to four themed museums designed by four different architects, all of whom are Pritzker Prize laureates:

There’s the Revolution Museum for Design and Architecture by Christian de Portzamparc (who designed Cité de la Musique in Paris), the Revolution Museum for Visual Arts by Jean Nouvel (who designed the Louvre Abu Dhabi), the Revolution Museum for Art and Technology by US-based Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects, and the Revolution Museum for Performing Arts by Japan’s Tange Associates.

See also: 7 Things To Know About The Louvre Abu Dhabi

Robbie Antonio, an avid art collector and founder and CEO of Revolution Pre-crafted—a start-up for prefabricated designer homes—is the mastermind behind the US$1.1 billion project, which he calls “the world’s first live-in art park”.

 

“For Batulao Artscapes, I was inspired by Naoshima which, in my opinion, is one of the most remarkable art and architecture destinations in the world,” he says, referring to the island in Japan known for its contemporary art museums, mostly designed by another Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando.

See also: Travel By Design: Top 5 Spots In Hong Kong For Design Lovers

Antonio adds: “There’s also Inhotim in Brazil (a public contemporary art park within a 5,000-acre jungle). These spots around the world have become cultural meccas, so I thought, what if we could create a similar project, but this time, giving people the option to live there? Batulao Artscapes is a place where you can enjoy the cool mountain air in your prefabricated weekend home, and see world-class art in a Jean Nouvel museum without having to go to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.”

Another major attraction of Batulao Artscapes is its residential offerings. Those looking for chic weekend retreats or retirement properties can consider prefab designer homes by Berlin’s Studio Libeskind, French-Brazilian architect Elizabeth de Portzamparc, Pelli Clarke Pelli, LA-based Marmol Radziner, style icon Daphne Guinness and even rock star Lenny Kravitz.  Plans also include sports facilities, a floating chapel, and a man-made lake and beach. 

ABOVE An artist’s interpretation of Batulao Artscapes (Photo: Courtesy of Revolution Pre-crafted)

Antonio’s idea for Revolution Pre-crafted, the Philippines’ first unicorn startup, came about after he commissioned renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas to design his home in the Philippines. He realised there was a wealth of opportunity in working with award-winning architects to create upscale, yet easily accessible living and commercial spaces, similar to how high street brands were collaborating with high fashion designers. 

By this time, he had amassed quite an art collection, including works by Francis Bacon and Jeff Koons, even commissioning portraits from Julian Schnabel, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and David Salle.

“For a while, I really followed the circuit. Modern contemporary artists like Bacon and Pollock are my favourite, but right now I’m also looking at the masters, like Delacroix, Rubens, and Goya.”

ABOVE Eden by Marcel Wanders (Photo: Courtesy of Revolution Pre-crafted)

In the last two years, Antonio has made “prefabricated” a real buzzword in the property development arena. Since he started Revolution Pre-crafted in 2015, Antonio has made headlines by successfully enlisting more than 30 of the world’s star architects—including Marcel Wanders and Zaha Hadid Architects—to work on his ambitious prefab projects, ranging from cutting-edge homes to pavilions, pop-ups, and restaurants. 

 With the first phase of Batulao Artscapes underway, Antonio’s team hopes to get at least two of the museums open by the time Art Basel Hong Kong comes around in 2019.

“We want visitors to the show to include us in their itineraries. The plan is to have an internationally curated collection together with commissioned work, host gallerists and to juxtapose local with international artists. Why not have a Poklong (Anading) next to a Basquiat, right?”

Mount Batulao, famous for its easy hiking trails and breathtaking views, is a 90-minute drive Manila, and a stone’s throw from Tagaytay, a popular weekend getaway. 

Find out more at batulaoartscapes.com

Century Properties Pre-sells Batulao Artscapes

by The Philippine Star

Listed property developer Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG) has already presold P1.7 billion worth of residential units of its Batangas mixed-use tourism development.

CPG managing director Robbie Antonio told reporters the Batulao Artscapes project in Nasugbu, Batangas was well-received by the market as it has already sold a chunk of its units before its official launch.

“We’re above what we expected,” Antonio said.

CPG held an exclusive launch of the first phase of the 142-hectare mixed tourism property in Batangas, which covers around 54 hectares of the entire property, last Saturday.

The Batulao Artscapes, the company’s first foray in the tourism and leisure market, offers an active retirement village component featuring designer homes from Revolution Precrafted, world -class village-exclusive vacation amenities, a man -made beach with club-house, and a lake with a charming wedding chapel.

Art cum adventure or ‘artven-ture’ facilities include a sports park, flavor park, and art park with museums designed by Pritzker Prizewinning archi-tects, according to CPG.

The project dubbed as the world’s first livable art park, will showcase a fine collection of ‘livable art’ exceptional designer homes. Total sales value of the first phase amounts to P19 billion.

Antonio said with the Batulao Artcapes only covering about a third of the 142- hectare Batan-gas property, the entire mas-terplanned project is estimated to rake in a total sales value of over P55 billion.

Meanwhile, with the project targeting the foreign retirees market, Antonio said residential units of the project operate like a condominium, as it offers shared amenities, but in a horizontal manner, unlike high rise condominiums with vertical shared amenities.

World’s First Livable Art Park

by Anne A. Jambora, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Polygonal Successions by Ed Calma

The game changer is here. Century Properties Group, the real-estate company behind some of the most exciting and revolutionary developments seen on Philippine soil—Gramercy Residences (a hyperamenitized and fully serviced luxury residence), Azure Urban Resort Residences (featuring the country’s first man-made beach and beach club designed by Paris Hilton), Acqua Livingstone interior design by MISSONIHOME, Acqua Iguazu yoo inspired by Philippe Starck, the Milano Residences interior design by Versace Home, Trump Tower Philippines, Century Spire by architect Daniel Libeskind and interior design by Armani/Casa—is once again poised to change the industry, this time with its first tourism-oriented development featuring modern designer homes and world-class amenities set against lush surroundings.

With over 30 years of experience in the Philippine real-estate industry, Century Properties Group presents its most ingenious, avant-garde project yet—Batulao Artscapes, a 142-ha project dubbed as the world’s first “livable art park,” and for very good reasons.

Featuring Revolution Precrafted designer homes, themselves intriguing works of art, the development will have an art park and four museums designed by Pritzker Prize awardwinning architects.

ButterflyHome by Elizabeth de Portzamparc: The ButterflyHome reflects all the fundamental
elements of Elizabeth’swork, such as flexibility, modularity,lightness and movement—all of which
are introduced in this project through inclined shapes.

Batulao Artscapes will attract active retirees with its relatively cool climate and state-of-the-art amenities—there’s a man-made beach, lake and floating chapel, a sports and kids park, among many others—and proximity to Metro Manila’s financial district. It’s only a 1.5 to 2-hour drive from Makati via four access points: through Daang Hari Road toward the scenic Nasugbu-Kaybiang Tunnel, the Star Tollway to Tanauan Exit, the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), and Cavite Expressway (Cavitex).

(Once the 49-km Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway or CTBEX is built, travel time to nearby Tagaytay City will only take less than an hour, as announced by the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Construction of the proposed CTBEX is expected to start by the 1st half of 2019.)

We Home by AFGH: The interiors and exteriors of the structure are true to the aesthetic of AFGH—fully adaptive and customizable

Live surrounded by wonderful works of art, as the bustling community will also feature museums by these design masters, replete with village-exclusive amenities, as well as a stunning, man-made lake and beach. The museums are a sight to behold, designed by Christian de Portzamparc for the Revolution Museum of Design and Architecture, Jean Nouvel Design for the Revolution Museum of Visual Arts, Philip Johnson Alan Ritchie Architects for the Revolution Museum of Art and Technology, and Tange Associates for the Revolution Museum of Performing Arts.

Batulao Artscapes will also have casual and formal dining options, as well as venue space for festivals and fairs. Batulao Artscapes will be a mix of the best of both nature and city conveniences by promoting a pedestrian culture and cultivating an eco-conscious, sustainable, suburban way of life.

While remaining respectful of the natural terrain, the concept of this neo-residential community is based on four core components: Active, Meditative, Festive, and Creative individuals.

Man-made beach

Active is represented in sports and outdoor activities—there are bike and hike trails, a man-made beach for swimming, a sports park, and “artventure” park; Meditative is for the spa, health, and wellness facilities, with a man-made lake for kayaking and boating, a clubhouse for yoga and a spa, and lots of open parks.

Festive is for the food concepts, festivities and themed celebrations, with the Flavor Park for fresh F&B concepts, Artventure Park Green House Pavilion, the Revolution Museum for Performing Arts, and a floating chapel; and Creative is for featuring art and design in all designer homes, art park with designer pavilions, and the four museums.

With its pedestrian-friendly culture, world-class amenities, and proximity to Metro Manila’s financial district, Batulao Artscapes aims to attract active retirees and become the vacation destination of a vibrant, active retirement community, or foreign retiree members 35 years old and above who wish to retire and live in the Philippines.

Billboard Home by David Salle

With this in mind, Batulao Artscapes will have Centuria Medical Urgent Care with Ambulance, a dedicated medical facility for urgent health needs; a transport hub to assist in transportation in and out of Batulao Artscapes, lay-by for bus stops, and roving e-jeeps within the development; dormitories to accommodate household staff for an overnight stay or longer; and Siglo Suites, premium hospitality and leasing management services for clients who wish to enroll their units for leasing.

Even more good news, Batulao Artscapes can assist foreign nationals and/or former Filipino citizens in their application for a Special Resident Retiree’s Visa with the Philippine Retirement Authority. The SRRV comes with additional benefits, including medical insurance for a set period of time.

Libeskind Design’s Adaptation Home II is a homage to the simple joy of living.

Established architects

Imagine owning a home designed by some of the world’s most eminent architects and award-winning firms and design collectives, such as Philip Johnson Alan Ritchie Architects, Marmol Radziner with Kravitz Design, Libeskind Design, Jean Nouvel, Paulo Mendes de Rocha, Daphne Guinness, and many more. Even the Dutch product and interior designer Marcel Wanders, who achieved international recognition with his Knotted Chair in 1996, designed his first home for Revolution Precrafted and it can be yours in Batulao Artscapes.

Notable Filipino architecture and design names Kenneth Cobonpue, Budji Layug and Royal Pineda through Budji+Royal Architecture + Design, and Eduardo Calma are also featuring their designer homes here.

Batulao Artscapes is set to be a cultural landmark in Southeast Asia, offering a mix of sports and art parks by fostering a design-driven community in an expansive natural landscape.

These structures will be built using a combination of conventional construction methods and prefabrication, and will offer different sizes and specifications in order to meet individual tastes and preferences.

Daphne SkinHome by Daphne Guinness: The Daphne SkinHome is a “fashion” house that reflects the style of Daphne Guinness. Borne from the creativity of a fashion designer, artist and theater enthusiast, Daphne’s SkinHome is a work that evokes drama and sophistication.
Eden by MarcelWanders. Wanders is a product and interior designer, an art directorwho won global recognition with his iconic Knotted Chair in 1996.
BUDJI+ROYAL’s The Facet affords the homeowner numerous configuration possibilities through the use of practical and functional design attachments.
HEDERA by Kenneth Cobonpue: Nature is an essential part of us, asmuch aswe are a part of it. Serving as the organic architect, nature actively participates in the design process as evergreen shrouds the walls, turning the artificial structure into a soft and lush sight to behold.
Instrumental Home by Marmol Radziner for architecture/Interiors by Kravitz Design
The Modular Glass House by Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects
Tranche by BUDJI+ROYAL: Tranche is a unique home model that grows and expands in tranches as it takes into account the evolution of one’s lifestyle.
Revolution Museums and the Kids Park
Retail area: The Flavor Park
Sports Park

Visit http://www.batulaoartscapes.com
for more info.