Tulum Plaza Norte is conceived as an eco-chic commercial and mixed-use plaza that harmonizes retail, dining, and community activity within a sustainable architectural language. The project embraces Tulum’s ethos—blending nature, art, and organic design—while promoting walkability and community interaction. The design promotes permeability both visually and spatially, allowing for constant interaction between interior and exterior spaces, and establishing a dialogue with its tropical context. The project combines ground-floor commercial units with upper-level boutique residences or workspaces, forming a dynamic programmatic layering. This strategy ensures continuous day and night activation, fostering economic and social vibrancy.
The architectural expression is characterized by a bold geometric articulation of slanted wooden fins, natural stone walls, and white sculptural curves. These diagonal timber brise-soleils serve both as sun protection and as a defining visual motif, lending the façade a rhythmic sense of movement and shadow play. This formal gesture also adds depth and texture to the envelope, making the building feel alive and responsive. A key feature is the integration of a large-scale butterfly mural on the curved facade—an emblematic element evoking nature and artistic identity, a nod to local culture and eco-tourism. At night, the architecture is softly illuminated with warm, indirect lighting that enhances textures and materiality while inviting a vibrant social atmosphere.
Materials were selected with durability, climate‑responsiveness and local character in mind. The primary cladding is naturally‑toned hardwood, chosen for its resilience in humid, coastal conditions and its visual warmth. Complementing this is rough stone – used for vertical accents and base elements – which grounds the building physically and visually to the site. Smooth white rendered curves provide contrast and modern clarity. The palette remains restrained: soft whites, warm browns, mid‑greys of the stone, and transparent glazing. Together they allow the surrounding greenery and sky to take on visual prominence.
Landscape design is woven into the architecture. Lush vegetation climbs trellises and cascades over balconies, blurring the boundary between nature and built form. The use of native plant species reduces irrigation needs and promotes biodiversity. The open-air central corridor and the shaded arcades provide a breezy pedestrian experience, facilitating cross-ventilation. Outdoor seating areas activate the ground level, encouraging community engagement and enhancing the commercial appeal. Palm trees and low tropical shrubbery complement the hardscape and provide additional cooling through shade.
Sustainability is woven into the design from passive to active strategies. The timber fin system reduces solar heat gain and improves daylighting performance, while the open‑ended layout promotes cross‑ventilation throughout the building. Locally‑sourced materials reduce embodied carbon and reinforce regional identity. Green roofs or planted terraces contribute to thermal insulation and storm‑water management, while LED lighting and efficient mechanical systems minimise operational energy. The provision for bicycle use and pedestrian priority further reinforces a low‑impact approach. In totality, the project seeks not simply to be energy‑efficient, but to achieve harmony with the wider ecosystem of the site.
DIRSA
Tulum Plaza Norte is conceived as an eco-chic commercial and mixed-use plaza that harmonizes retail, dining, and community activity within a sustainable architectural language. The project embraces Tulum’s ethos—blending nature, art, and organic design—while promoting walkability and community interaction. The design promotes permeability both visually and spatially, allowing for constant interaction between interior and exterior spaces, and establishing a dialogue with its tropical context. The project combines ground-floor commercial units with upper-level boutique residences or workspaces, forming a dynamic programmatic layering. This strategy ensures continuous day and night activation, fostering economic and social vibrancy.
The architectural expression is characterized by a bold geometric articulation of slanted wooden fins, natural stone walls, and white sculptural curves. These diagonal timber brise-soleils serve both as sun protection and as a defining visual motif, lending the façade a rhythmic sense of movement and shadow play. This formal gesture also adds depth and texture to the envelope, making the building feel alive and responsive. A key feature is the integration of a large-scale butterfly mural on the curved facade—an emblematic element evoking nature and artistic identity, a nod to local culture and eco-tourism. At night, the architecture is softly illuminated with warm, indirect lighting that enhances textures and materiality while inviting a vibrant social atmosphere.
Materials were selected with durability, climate‑responsiveness and local character in mind. The primary cladding is naturally‑toned hardwood, chosen for its resilience in humid, coastal conditions and its visual warmth. Complementing this is rough stone – used for vertical accents and base elements – which grounds the building physically and visually to the site. Smooth white rendered curves provide contrast and modern clarity. The palette remains restrained: soft whites, warm browns, mid‑greys of the stone, and transparent glazing. Together they allow the surrounding greenery and sky to take on visual prominence.
Landscape design is woven into the architecture. Lush vegetation climbs trellises and cascades over balconies, blurring the boundary between nature and built form. The use of native plant species reduces irrigation needs and promotes biodiversity. The open-air central corridor and the shaded arcades provide a breezy pedestrian experience, facilitating cross-ventilation. Outdoor seating areas activate the ground level, encouraging community engagement and enhancing the commercial appeal. Palm trees and low tropical shrubbery complement the hardscape and provide additional cooling through shade.
Sustainability is woven into the design from passive to active strategies. The timber fin system reduces solar heat gain and improves daylighting performance, while the open‑ended layout promotes cross‑ventilation throughout the building. Locally‑sourced materials reduce embodied carbon and reinforce regional identity. Green roofs or planted terraces contribute to thermal insulation and storm‑water management, while LED lighting and efficient mechanical systems minimise operational energy. The provision for bicycle use and pedestrian priority further reinforces a low‑impact approach. In totality, the project seeks not simply to be energy‑efficient, but to achieve harmony with the wider ecosystem of the site.
DIRSA
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Barcelona
Bac de Roda 136
08020, Barcelona
Spain
Madrid
Av. de Buendía 11
19005 Guadalajara (Madrid)
Spain
Chicago
373 Hazel Ave, Apt A1
60022, Glencoe, Illinois
United States