This small hotel and residency on the coast of Mexico lives at the sublime edge where the sun-baked, stoic desert meets the boundless, abundant sea. The design’s core purpose is to deepen human connection to this powerful environment, fostering both inspiration and tranquility.

The project integrates seamlessly into the hillside, accommodating both short-term retreats and long-term, seasonal residences. This hybrid structure is intentionally orchestrated to cultivate a sense of awe and support creative flow through the orchestration of spatial experience:

• The Expanse / Outward Focus: Vast, framing apertures direct the gaze toward the turquoise horizon. These moments of unfiltered scale and visual awe are designed to quiet the mind, establishing an effortless connection to the larger, living ecosystem. This meditative quality is a direct catalyst for creativity and perspective.

• The Detail / Inward Focus: In powerful contrast, private rear gardens open onto the immediate desert landscape and the framed sky. This intimate connection fosters appreciation for the tenacious beauty and resilient life of the native flora, anchoring the spirit and serving as a wellspring of inner empowerment and inspiration.

The project’s construction strategy prioritized regenerative minimalism to protect the sensitive coastal margin. By carving into the hillside, it leverages thermal stabilization with earth-sheltering properties, while cross-ventilation and planted roof mass provides natural cooling. The structure’s embodied carbon was also significantly reduced through material choice:

• Mass Timber (CLT): Used for its high strength-to-weight ratio and low carbon impact. Fabricated offsite, Mass Timber maximizes material efficiency and reduces both construction time and site impact.

• Recycled Concrete is used as aggregate to help reduce carbon, further lowering the environmental footprint.

This project is an exercise in restraint, demonstrating how architecture can integrate quietly into the land while maximizing human experience and ecological responsibility.