Zadun: A Ritz-Carlton Reserve - A Tribute to Baja Desert

Abax Arquitectos' Masterpiece Wins Silver A' Design Award

The inspiration for the design came from the desert and its surroundings. The light, color, and vegetation that characterize the Baja desert are extraordinarily strong elements and a natural invitation to consider architecture as a tribute to it. The design team, which included Fernando de Haro, Jesus Fernandez, Pablo Blasco, and Sofia Bezaury, proposed a series of horizontal planes that emerge from the land, as well as the use of large black overhangs that, by their arrangement, accentuate the light/shadow balance.

Zadun, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is the first hotel in Mexico of only four in the world in the ultraluxury category of this hotel chain. The design of the complex was built on an area of 7has, with 350 meters beach front behind two majestic dunes and spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez. The design intent relies on the creation of a very horizontal, noninvasive building, that allows each suite to be unique and have a particular atmosphere.

The ambience of subtle elegance is based on the integration of local materials both in buildings and in the outdoor environment, including regional stone, wood and marble in a range of tones going from brown and ocher to sand, as well as the use of aluminum and corten, since it integrates very well with the colors of the desert, behaves well in the outdoors, provides character and timelessness to architecture.

The complex has 30,000sm built on an area of 7has, with 350 meters beach front. 116 units divided in 88 Typical Rooms, 5 K suites, 20 Executive Suites, two Deluxe Suites and one Grand Reserve Villa. The Reserve "barefoot luxury" philosophy was embraced: guests are in deep contact with nature, in a relaxed atmosphere away from daily stress and reconnecting with themselves in a unique natural environment where local materials are fully integrated with the architecture and the landscaping.

The design phase started in 2015 in Mexico City, the construction started in July 2017 and it was completed in November 2019. Zadun is located in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The research was based on three main axes: the brand's experience in the other three Reserve already built, the study of ecosystem and particular conditions of the site, and the study of architecture in desert locations from Frank Lloyd Wright to recent resorts like Amangiri in Utah.

Zadun is the fourth Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the world. The design intent relies on the creation of very horizontal, noninvasive buildings with a well-orchestrated composition of simple massing, balance, symmetry and subtle elegance. A series of horizontal planes that emerge from the land were proposed, as well as the use of large black overhangs that accentuate the light/shadow balance, taking advantage of the unique quality of the light of the Baja desert. The ambience of subtle elegance is based on the integration of local materials both in buildings and on the outdoor environment.