Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo

Four Seasons Tamarindo sits in a private natural reserve of 1,214 Ha. on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the design team's intention was for the architecture to blend in with the jungle as “if it had always been there”.
In this extraordinary project, three creative offices came together interacting in a fluid dialogue between architecture, the nature of the site and landscape architecture. Our client participated actively, with support and demand for an integral design of nature and contemporary architecture. His intention was “the project to be a creative talent of Mexican design, craftmanship and art”. The Hotel chain states: “to provide a natural refuge for those who seek an authentic connection to Mexico, its biodiversity and culture”.

PROJECT NARRATIVE

Located in a private natural reserve of 1,214 hectares on the Pacific Coastline of the State of Jalisco, the Four Seasons Tamarindo Hotel is a tourist complex of 156 suites, immersed in the Biome of the Low Deciduous Jungle (LDJ) along the Western Sierra Madre of Mexico. The hotel development sits in an area of 11 hectares facing Tamarindo bay and beach.

The project site, a rugged terrain with magnificent dramatic elevated views to the Pacific Coastline and a sequence of spectacular beaches and cliffs. Part of the site faces an extensive arc-shaped beach (Tamarindo) in front of a small bay. With back views to the enormous reserve of practically untouched hills of the LDJ, with an enormous biodiversity of flora and fauna.

In this extraordinary project, three creative offices came together interacting interchangeably in a fluid dialogue between architecture, the nature of the site and landscape architecture. In addition, the client/owner participated actively, with support and demand for an integral design of nature and architecture. The owner’s intention was “the essence of the project to be a creative talent of Mexican design, craftmanship and art”.

The design team's intention was for the architecture to blend in with the jungle as “if it had always been there”; creating an organic symbiosis; an “intimate” partnership to be mutually beneficial. The objective was for visitors to live a unique experience of (true) immersion in local nature, in a jungle and sea environment. Therefore the “restitution” of impacts from the clearings for the building suites was to be with the same endemic species of the site.

Through a careful environmental study, (done by a US landscape firm) three landscape-environmental zones were defined: the mountain area; the dune and beach area, and the majagua and stream area. Of these, the most challenging was the mountain area with a highly complex physiography, a product of its steep topography, with ravines and cliffs; its variable geology; its intricate hydrology, with tropical storms and hurricanes and a variable edaphology of soil varieties with unique local species.

Among the attributes or principles established for the landscape-environmental project, the following were defined:

1. Conservation of original vegetation: monumental trees and cactii, through protection or in situ transplants; protection and conservation of rocks, ravines, and streams.

2. Ecological restitution. Recovery of the original jungle using endemic species, during and after the construction processes.

3. Privacy: between villas and between villas and amenities.
4. Multiple options for experiences in open space.

5. Views of all mountain and beach suites towards the sea and always in contact with the jungle.

6. Design process and implementation. Our team participated from the beginning of the project with continual iterative project workshops. Also, directly on site for five and a half years; guided by the local biologist to transplant specimens from the site’s nursery as well as selected extractions from the reserve jungle, replacing with stakes and tree replacements.

Altogether, the implemented landscape has matured rapidly and endured several tropical storms and a major hurricane. The essential experiences of the site provide an incredible connection to the nature of the Site: sounds from the ocean, splendid vistas, range odors, seasonal evolution of local flora, and continuous sightings of local fauna.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: GDU - Mario Schjetnan
ARCHITECTURE: Legorocha
INTERIOR DESIGN: Uribe Krayer / Estudio Esterlina