Architect Transforms Fish Farm Into a Forest With Hidden Casitas

Gary's Place in Silay, Negros Occidental used to be architect Ed Ledesma's full-blown fish and prawn farm in the early 80s. Not only did prawn farming require him to cut down all of the trees, but it also caused pollution in the nearby river. This was when he vowed to himself that he would take better care of the environment and not only plant more trees but care for the ones that are already grown.

He transformed his farm into a forest and built casitas originally for his family. He hid a casita within a mango grove and another one inside a dike while one cantilevers out over a pond to preserve kamagong trees. If a tree were to grow close to a wall or roof of a built structure, he would never choose to cut the tree down but revise the wall or roof instead. It's common to see cutouts on the edges of roofs for trees to freely grow in Gary's Place.

Named after his son that passed away many years ago, Gary's Place is open to the public as accommodations and a restaurant and offers a glimpse into the creative genius of Ed Ledesma. Ledesma is the managing partner at Leandro V. Locsin Partners.