Recreational

PrimoDora Resort & Events

The Pasig-Potrero River brought thick slurry lahar into the lowlands of Porac, Bacolor, and San Fernando in 1991, an aftermath of the Mt. Pinatubo Eruption. Twenty-nine years later, the river that almost erased towns now offers opportunities for the community around it.

The site and its surroundings are a vast grey sandy grass field, almost unnoticeable as you drive along the 15km long Mega Dike Road: the primary access to the site is 3-storey higher in level. For the development to be easily seen, pronounced roofs that highly contrast with the surroundings are the central motif at an aerial level; on the ground level, the buildings look like they rose from grey sand. A bare concrete finish is used on all the structures to give a raw site-inspired appeal. Common reed or “talahib” is used in landscaping to further the aspect of the immediate environment inside the development. These design strategies aim to revive the previously desolate and arid site, providing it with cohesiveness and potential.

Zoning is also essential to planning, especially on our creational project. Properly separating vehicular and pedestrians is done by placing buildings as divisions but not as hard-barrier. The Welcome Pavilion, which houses the administration and reception office, stands between the parking and main recreation space. The site features a porous building that also serves as a separation. It intersects the primary visual corridor, which acts as a wayfinding system and leads to the recreation spaces. It crosses the primary visual corridor, which acts as a wayfinding system and leads to the recreation spaces.

The core of the development is a freshwater pool surrounded by cabanas with a pronounced roof. The roof structure appears weightless due to the metal slats acting as a transparent envelope for the cabanas. An accent wall at the end of the pool with cascading water produces an ambient and relaxing sound.

The Grand Pavilion, which houses the event functions of the development, has boasting forms with a roof deck giving panoramic views of the site and the vast fields around it. One can see majestic sunsets crawling behind the Zambales Mountain Range, with Pinatubo at the center. 

The site and the need to produce an experience have always informed the design process and the final output. The design studio echoed harmony and order to achieve relaxation and leisure. Connection - with the site and its environment and demand - in planning and ascending. It needed to be with and from the “ashes.”

Site Isometric for Zoning: Zoning is also essential to planning, especially on a recreational project. Properly separating vehiculars and pedestrians is done by placing buildings as divisions but not as hard-barrier. We are introducing porous building connections for flexible site navigation.

Site Section with pool: The development has multiple zones with different levels of privacy. These separations are treated with porous barriers through soft landscaping and porous walls to promote a continuous conversation throughout the site.

Site Section for Visual Corridor: The complex program includes visual corridors to enhance the flow of human traffic and improve the overall experience. The approach starts with a volume-rich fence design, with concrete volumes that decrease upon arrival at the main gate.