Four Seasons Tamarindo

Located in a private natural reserve of 1,214 hectares on the Pacific Coastline of the State of Jalisco, the Four Seasons Tamarindo Resort is a tourist complex of 156 suites, immersed in Mexico’s Western Sierra Madre Biome of Low Deciduous Jungle (LDJ). 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 in 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 natural 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 the nature of the site, the architecture, landscape architecture and interior design. In addition, the client/owner participated actively, with support and demand for an integral design of nature and architecture; with: “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 and infrastructure to blend with the jungle as “if they 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 buildings and infrastructure 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 sea ridge and beach area, and the “majagua” (Talipariti elatum) 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:

Conservation of original vegetation: monumental trees and cactii, through protection or in situ transplants; protection and conservation of rocks, ravines, and streams.
Ecological restitution. Recovery of the original jungle using endemic species, during and after the construction processes.
Privacy: between villas and between villas and amenities.
Multiple options for experiences in open space.
Views of all mountain and beach suites towards the sea and always in direct contact with the jungle.
Design process and implementation. Our team participated from the beginning of the project with continual iterative project workshops. And supervision directly on the 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 saplings and trees.

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 and beauty of the Site: sounds from the ocean, splendid vistas, range odors, seasonal evolution of local flora, and continuous sightings of local fauna.

Location: Municipio La Huerta, Costa Alegre, Jalisco, Mexico.

Designer Credit:

Landscape Architect: GDU-Mario Schjetnan
Architecture: Legorocha (Víctor Legorreta + Mauricio Rocha)
Client: Paralelo 19

Collaborators/Other Consultants:
Construction: Contructora Franses, Aldea Tamarindo
Structural Engineering: Alonso y Asociados, Izquierdo Ingenieros, Ricardo Camacho, SACMAG
Electrical and Pumbling Installation: ICI Instalaciones
Acoustic: SAAD
Lighting Design: Maurici Guines – _Artec3

Photography: Francisco Gomez Sosa and Eduardo Simón y Ariadna Hilario