Pacman's Boracay Resort

Among Manny's many business ventures is a resort on the world-famous island of Boracay in Aklan. Manny partnered with his friend, businessman Crisostomo "Cris" Aquino to purchase, in 2006, a cove in the seaside mountain terrain from a former developer.

The cove, located in the island's Diniwid beach area, is partly hidden from the view of tourists at Boracay's Station 1. The lushly vegetated cove is now a resort that Manny and Cris have named the Boracay West Cove.

At present, the Boracay West Cove is not yet fully operational. Manny and Cris are still adding new structures, such as upcoming resto-bars Café Crisostomo and Station Zero.

"Testing-testing pa lang sa mga kaibigan," says Manny's business partner Cris, in an interview with YES! during the Pinoy Records' Christmas party.
Cris is also the Philippine flag-bearer in all Manny's fights.

The Boracay West Cove hugs the seaside mountain terrain of Boracay's Diniwid beach area and is accessible only either through a tricycle ride from Boracay's Stations 1, 2, and 3, or by boat. Clients are given free round-trip speedboat transfers to and from Caticlan Jetty Port.

Cabanas, made from nipa and molave planks, surround the whole resort. Each is equipped with comfortable lounges where guests can take a nap, read, have a massage, or simply chat while enjoying the cool sea breeze.

At the resort, Manny maintains his personal quarters, which opens to a private balcony, where one can have an unobstructed view of both sunrise and sunset on Boracay.

Manny has personally named this coral rock formation Pacman's Rock.

"Balak naming maglagay diyan ng statue ni Manny," says West Cove co-owner Cris Aquino.

"May pinapaayos pa nga ngayon, sa bandang ibaba. Papalagyan daw niya ng bilyaran niya." Billiards is Manny's other passion.

These shots were taken inside Manny and Jinkee's private quarters. At present, the Boracay West Cove has 12 private villas. But Cris Aquino says he and Manny are adding 18 more villas.

Manny's window frames the Boracay sunrise and sunset perfectly. He also has a direct view of his Pacman Rock.

Each room in the resort has its own balcony. Manny's balcony, however, is bigger and more elaborate.

The owners are targeting foreign honeymooners as main clientele.

"Mas may privacy kasi dito." And privacy doesn't come cheap. During peak seasons (November to May), the price of a room per night ranges from P7,000-plus to 12,000-plus. 

Pacman's GenSan Mansion

Stretching from the gate to the front of the main house in Gen San is an extensive driveway. Family members and guests alike get off from their cars on a covered walkway, held up by classic white pillars. The walkway leads to the front door.

The wide front yard provides more than enough room for a landscaped garden. It features a fountain and a koi pond.

Cream or beige was the color of choice for Manny Pacquiao's two-story, seven-bedroom, 780-square-meter Mediterranean-style house that sits on a 2,300-square-meter lot. This understated hue complements the classic lines and details of the architecture. The red tiles used on the roof are imported from Japan.

Flanked by white pillars, paved by tiles from Spain, and illuminated by a bowl pendant chandelier, the main entrance, with its white double front doors, gives guests a hint of the grandness to be expected inside.

Manny Pacquiao's expansive backyard in Lagao Village, General Santos City, features a swimming pool in the shape of a boxing glove, and iron garden furniture that provides seating for both swimmers and guests. Hidden by the lush greenery is Manny's seven-car garage.

The boxing champ reportedly spent P35 million-plus for the structures alone—the 780-square-meter main house (known to local tourists as "Pacman's Mansion"), and the 320-square-meter, two-story building that houses the servants' quarters, a billiard room, a gym with a sauna, an entertainment center, and a recording studio. The furniture pieces and furnishings inside both structures, according to Manny, are imported from Italy and Japan.

Providing a good view of the pool and backyard are several balconies on the second floor. On the ground floor is a lanai where guests can enjoy a refreshing breeze, yet still be under the shade.

Situated in the backyard but separate from the pool is this round Jacuzzi.

In the lanai, an entire wall is dedicated to framed photos of the Pacman's boxing successes. The permanent exhibit includes action-packed shots of his bouts with Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as photos of Manny with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, now secretary of environment and natural resources.

The winding staircase is something Manny and Jinkee wanted for their dream home. Set against tall windows, and with a "ringside view" of the large crystal chandelier hanging from the dome ceiling, the staircase becomes a very impressive sight.

Manny began the construction of this "dream house" in August 2006, while he was preparing for his November 18 match with Mexico's Erik Morales. The Pambansang Kamao's win earned him $3 million. That's what he used to pay for this house, which saw completion in December 2006, just in time for his 28th birthday.

Flanking the tall window are two smaller yet elegantly draped windows and regal-looking torch lamps, further emphasizing the grandness of the space.

This console table, standing near the foot of the stairs and against a tall window, holds photos of the Pacquiao family.

The living room flows easily into the formal dining room, seen in the background.

Hung together, these black-and-white photomontages create a huge impact. They also manage to go well with the dark grand piano. Unknown to many, Manny can play a few pieces on this piano. His favorite, we gathered, is the Beatles' "Let It Be."

The formal dining table comfortably sits 10 diners at a time. The curtained sliding doors to the left open up to the lanai.

The formality of the dining room is toned down by the presence of a large flat-screen television set in a corner.

Muted tones of peach, cream, and brown are accented by burgundy colors, brought in by the throw pillows on the sofa, silk flowers on the coffee table, and the pattern on the area rug.

The kitchen walls' bright apple-green color is complemented by the red-and-white floral curtains. Though the kitchen's colors may be a bit country-ish, the appliances are anything but. The stove top, range hood, and oven are as modern as they can be.

A wet bar gets to have its own corner. A wet bar is characterized by its having a sink with running water, making mixing and serving drinks easier. A regular bar, on the other hand, is basically a counter where drinks are mixed and served.

The main seating area on the second floor is furnished with Louis XIV-inspired pieces, such as the sofa and the armchairs. Done in muted tones, these classic pieces look light yet still very elegant. 

JEDDAH NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

OMA in the Middle East: Office for Metropolitan Architecture have designed a new international airport for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia . 

Located between Jeddah and Mecca , the airport will cater for the two million pilgrims who make the journey to Mecca during the holy Hajj period and features a special terminal for the Saudi Royal Family (top two images). 

The main terminal is in the shape of a ring with an oasis at its centre and is configured to cope with a massive increase in visitor numbers during the Hajj , while the smaller Royal terminal echoes the form of the larger building.

Below is a statement from OMA: 

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NEW JEDDAH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

For 33 days per year the new Jeddah Airport will host the influx of two million Muslims for the holy Hajj period in Mecca . No other airport in the world can claim such overwhelming specificity of its use. These programmatic requirements form the base for a new approach to both the organization of the airport and its architecture.

Predictability over indeterminacy
Airports come in two sizes: too big and too small. Fundamentally compromised by the necessity to accommodate unpredictable future expansions , airports are ultimately forced to 'gamble' on their right size. In terms of its design the airport is condemned to a permanent open end.

With the Hajj as one of the main defining elements , the new Jeddah International Airport presents a unique situation: its expansion is a given in advance , occurring at a fixed moment for a fixed length of time. This relative predictability allows the design of the Jeddah airport to acquire a level of specificity unheard of in a 'regular' airport: allowing the rehabilitation of the particular over the general , of centrality over linearity , and of character over blandness.

Arrival over departure
Airports are primarily places one leaves from. With the business trip and the vacation as the airport's main , perhaps even only , use , the excitement of going away generally outweighs that of coming back.
 

This discrepancy is also expressed in the design of the airport , with departures generally located in a 'grandiose space' on top (mostly under a billowing roof) and arrivals located in a flat utilitarian luggage-collect-space below , making the first acquaintance with a new destination often one of disappointment.
 

The unique condition and purpose of the new Jeddah International Airport presents us with a compelling reason to consider arriving with the same consideration as leaving. ( Mecca you don't leave , to Mecca you go!) 

  

The surface required by the Hajj equals that of the airport itself. Accommodating the Hajj theoretically means building the same volume twice , with one volume being empty for most of the year. In the current situation this is solved by having the Hajj section as a temporary structure in the form of a big tent.
 
Design Proposal.
The initial proposal resulted in six different schemes with an emblematic quality. The final design follows the organizing principal of 'the ring'. Both the main terminal and Royal pavilion with their crescent-like shape enclose an internal oasis that can accommodate different forms of use. The layout of the airport is organized in such a way that Airport and Hajj become a single integrated whole without forcing the airport to double in size.

The design realizes departures and arrivals on the same level allowing both to benefit from the same spatial conditions. The realization of departure and arrival on a single level creates a large surface that equals that of the Hajj , allowing the Hajj to be accommodated on the same footprint as the airport itself. No longer realized as a separate section , the Hajj becomes the almost casual by-product of a particular airport design. The Hajj becomes the invisible twin that - at fixed moments - allows the airport to expand its size. 

Project: International Airport for Jeddah
Status: Commission 2005
Client: Wthheld
Location: Jeddah , Saudi Arabia
Site: Desert between Jeddah and Makkah , Saudi Arabia
Program: New International Airport with Hadj facilities and royal family terminal
Partner: Rem Koolhaas
Associate: Fernando Donis
Team: Gustavo Guimar م es , Laurent Troost , Miho Mazereeuw , Katrin Betschinger , Joshua Beck , Haiko Cornelissen , Léonie Wenz , Filipe Balestra , Jo م o Amaro , Inge Goudsmit , Joao Ruivo , Ben Milbourne , Tiago Branco-Sampaio