Celebrating nature at Two Serendra

My grandfather used to tell us how his grandfather built the ancestral home. "My grandfather went to the forests in nearby Zambales to choose the trees to be cut," he said. "The trees were cut and hewn into thick boards before the workmen joined them with wooden pegs (not nails) to make floors and walls." The stories about the house would then continue, as we accompanied my grandfather around the old house with its wide molave (bulawen) walls and narra floorboards. Inevitably, my grandfather would point out the shrapnel from World War II, still embedded in the thick walls. Thus began my appreciation for trees: As a sturdy building material, the thick wood saved my antecedents from stray bullets and injury.

Perhaps, my parents had the same ideas about the functionality of trees. In the little northern city we lived in, they built our home entirely of wood, so that visitors to our home usually joked, "It is because of people like you that there really should be a log ban." Surrounded by a large garden teeming with trees and small wildlife, we took nature for granted. The garden took too much time to maintain and we yearned for the traffic, the bustle and the noise of the big city.

"Be careful what you wish for, for it might come true," cautions the old adage. I wryly remember my childhood dream to live in the big city, as I begin to dread the traffic, pollution and noise of the main thoroughfares and city centers. I have learned to notice and appreciate the small and unexpected roadside blooms in the big city where I now live. I listen closely to hear the warble of an occasional bird outside my window, and have a renewed sense of appreciation for nature with each homecoming in my little neighborhood pocket of green.

Thus, one main attraction of the residential properties called Two Serendra is the lush landscaping. Developed by Community Innovations, Two Serendra will devote more than half of the total area (65 percent) to green and open spaces. With large trees to shield the community from the buzz of the city, and gardens designed by internationally acclaimed landscape architect Mia Lehrer, the development will be an oasis in the parched urban landscape.

At a recent event, Edwin Yabut, lead architect of Community Innovations’ Two Serendra, said, "The most important element of the landscape design is really the central part, where we will concentrate on providing the large or mature trees." To make this possible, several varieties of grown foliage trees were transplanted to the site.

"We are putting in combinations of fruit-bearing trees, as well as shade trees. We want to encourage wildlife such as birds and butterflies. What we are doing is enriching the ecosystem by adding all the landscaping and trees," continued architect Yabut.

Dan Abando, vice president of Community Innovations and head of Technical Services Group of Two Serendra, described the development: "On the surface, we will have the serenity provided by the greenery, the relaxed atmosphere, the laid-back feel of suburbia, and underneath we will have a city that is teeming with activity. Gyms, courts, walkways, vehicular traffic, telephone and power cables, centralized sanitary disposal and all that – it’s almost like having two completely different worlds merged into one."

Modern conveniences at your disposal combined with the lushness of nature will certainly be a luxury for the enlightened urban dweller. "Our vision is of a modern city with an infrastructure that is veiled with landscape for aesthetics; and a clean environment that serves as a shield against outer elements," said engineer Abando. Indeed, the community called Two Serendra is something to look forward to.

At the conclusion of the Two Serendra event in Bonifacio Global City, guests were given guava or atis fruit seedlings in handmade stoneware pots by artist Lanelle Abueva-Fernando, ostensibly to symbolize the green, tree-filled ecosystem that will be the setting of the Two Serendra community.

However, I remembered the symbolism of the tree according to the Jewish cabbala, and thought, "How fitting."

In the Jewish cabbalistic tradition, each and every human being is a tree of life. As young families begin their lives in Two Serendra, the tree of life continues, albeit with future generations imbibing a strong appreciation for nature, the importance of trees and the need for environmental preservation.

For inquiries on Two Serendra, call 888-0000 or e-mail cii-sales@ayalaland.com.ph or visit www.communityinnovations.com.ph. Model units are available for viewing at the Serendra Sales Pavilion located on 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.