This Villa in Cavite Lets You Experience Regenerative Living and Japanese Onsen-Inspired Baths
If you’re living the fast-paced, busy life in the metro, chances are, you frequently yearn for a chance to simply slow down and de-stress. For those living in Metro Manila, a short weekend trip out of town can do wonders to calm those frayed nerves. And while there are the conventional hotels and bed and breakfasts, bakasyonistas will always be on the lookout for a one-of-a-kind staycation experience.
Enter Maka Forest Villa, situated in Alfonso, Cavite, the look and feel of which was conceptualized by its owner, architect Ronnie Yumang.
It was in 2019 when Ronnie and his family moved from Manila to Cavite and started transforming what used to be a poultry farm into the nature facility it is today. According to Ronnie, Maka Forest Villa is all about regenerative living, built with resources found in the area.
“We nurture what resources we have here instead of using the finite resources like cement, sand, and gravel, which is far more harming to our environment when you extract it,” Ronnie tells the OG team.
Imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete
What makes Maka Forest Villa unique is its lush greenery and wabi-sabi inspired aesthetic, from the Japanese philosophy that seeks beauty in imperfect things. Columns are marked with imperfections and an Antipolo tree was made with excess material from the villa’s construction.
Another way of life that Maka Forest Villa champions is frugal innovation, or the development of objects wherein minimal resources or expenses are involved. “Really cheap, about 60 percent to 80 percent. You’ll be able to save money,” says Ronnie.
One of the property’s biggest attractions is its biopool or hybrid pool, an outdoor Japanese onsen-inspired pool made of termite soil, clay, and charcoal.
“The water is natural; it comes from our deep well,” Ronnie explains. “We don’t use any chlorine at all. [In] about three to five days, it becomes mossy. We just replace it and give it back to our water table or aquifer. We only spent about P2,500. That’s the price of cement. The rest is free!”
Ronnie was intentional in creating a nature-filled enclave and planted endangered and endemic trees in the area, with interesting varieties such as the balayong—used for shipbuilding during the Spanish occupation, calumpit, balitbitan, and pili, to name a few.
Connecting with nature
To those who wish to stay in Maka Forest Villa, guests can choose from five rooms which measure 36 to 42 square meters each and used earth as plastering.
“We eliminate or reduce the use of paint as much as possible,” notes Ronnie. “That is because we want to reduce also the usage of chemicals. When you use chemicals, you kill the microorganisms of the soil as well.”
With more people embracing the regenerative life, Ronnie hopes to build a community of such like-minded individuals.
“Soon, within this year, we will be offering house and lot using the principle of regenerative architecture. Now, you will be able to enjoy living in harmony with the environment. Nature gave us a lot, all that you need is available here in your place. All you have to do is get your resource from there, just do not abuse it, do not over-consume. It’s very cheap, it’s very practical, you don’t need anything more than that.”
Learn more about Maka Forest Villa when you visit its Facebook page and Instagram account.
Watch the video below.
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