PROJECT NAME: CUYONON VILLAGE
TYPOLOGY: HORIZONTAL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT LOCATION: EL NIDO, PALAWAN
DESCRIPTION: Named after the indigenous people of the island of Palawan, Cuyonon Village is an 11-hectare residential and hotel development that features 80 luxury villas. Intended to be a home away from home, it offers its residents a way to be part of the hotel and earn while having a second home in the world’s most beautiful island.
Ar. Gregory Ng and Ar. John Carlo Ocampo seems to have met each other at the right place and the right time. The duo first found synergy back in college while taking BS Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas where they often worked together. After graduating, they worked as interns for the same company where they each found their own core strengths, eventually gaining more and more responsibilities that taught them not only about architecture but what to expect in running a studio. After five (5) years growing with the company which started from around 15 people to almost a hundred, they decided to chase their own path and start their own practice.
Channeling their creativity in architecture, they began their own architectural practice called GreCa in 2016.
GreCa, The Studio
• The studio was established in 2017.
• Their design solutions cater to a broad range of sectors; including private residence, corporate, government, hospitality, education, recreation and master planning, and brand building.
• GreCa won the design competition for the Isuzu Philippines Corporations new dealership design which will be implemented nationwide for new and existing dealerships.
Design Philosophy
GreCa Architects stands by the belief that creating architecture is not just building spaces but the creation of spaces that interact with each other and their users. The studio prides itself in taking the time to do intensive research for each and every project. For GreCa, architecture and design impact brand building significantly and so the studio does its best to design spaces that connect with people’s emotions. The duo strive to make that good first and lasting impression, keeping in mind how users would interact with everything that surrounds them.
We all know that lots of the new breed of architects have been facing a crisis these days: stick to age-old traditions in the industry and find their niche or open themselves up to all kinds of opportunities to build experience. GreCa falls outside these categories. They are neither traditional nor revolutionary. They’re neither choosy nor greedy. They’re somewhere in between, getting out of the box people have created for newcomers in the architecture industry; but instead of just navigating outside it, they formed their own box and decided to thrive there. Acknowledging that they live in very interesting times, GreCa sets their own standard and debunks the following traditional claims about their industry:
1. Experience = Excellence
Having a desire to create something extraordinary, Architects Greg and JC stand by their studio’s core belief that architecture is not just about building spaces, it is also about exploring the nuanced ways of defining and redefining it. For them, core skills equate to excellence; not just experience. Starting only last 2017, they’ve already handled various architecture projects and catered to a broad range of sectors - residential, education, recreation and master planning, and brand building. GreCa is flexible and their exposure to various design styles through various projects works for them well.
PROJECT NAME: 308 IBAÑEZ RESIDENCES
TYPOLOGY: VERTICAL RESIDENTIAL
DESCRIPTION: A multi-story high-end residential development, 308 Ibañez will feature luxury living in a low density apartment complex.
PROJECT NAME: 308 IBAÑEZ RESIDENCES
TYPOLOGY: VERTICAL RESIDENTIAL
DESCRIPTION: A multi-story high-end residential development, 308 Ibañez will feature luxury living in a low density apartment complex.
“We don’t want to stick to one design style or look. We focus more on what the client needs and give our 100% best to deliver that.”
PROJECT NAME: THE ACADEMIC BUILDING
TYPOLOGY: INSTITUTIONAL
PROJECT LOCATION: QUEZON CITY
2. Micromanaging makes you big
Principal architects have the duty of gathering all the information and ideas necessary to create a functional space that meets client needs while being code compliant. With this in mind, their role is important in every stage of a project. For big studios or firms, a project manager is usually assigned to oversee every stage of the project and reports directly to the principal architect. In this traditional set up, communications between the client and main architect seem to be limited since there’s a third party involved. GreCa puts premium on communications, knowing when to be involved and when to entrust something to their trained staff. While they have managers assigned to oversee a specific project, Architects Greg and JC make sure that they visit the actual site regularly and make themselves easily accessible to their clients and staff from planning to construction stages. “We make sure that we’re there in every step of the project. We make our presence felt to assure our clients that while we have project heads, we’re still on top of things,” Architect Jc quips.
