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Architects: Studio PCH, WATG
- Area: 35 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Kraft Signature Resort & Hotel Photography, WATG
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Acor, IMA, Solarix, Stone Finish, Texston Architectural Surfaces, Trimble
Text description provided by the architects. The Nobu Hotel Los Cabos is a modern luxury resort located at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. The hotel opened in March 2019. It builds upon the Nobu brand as a modern and luxurious hotel at the intersection of exquisite cuisine, innovation, and creativity. The Property includes the Nobu Los Cabos Restaurant, 200 guest rooms and suites, multiple swimming pool environments, a Chef’s garden, a spa, meeting and event spaces, retail, and food and beverage venues.
Brief. Design a contemporary luxury hotel experience around the Nobu brand by executing meticulous design and details that fuses with the distinctive Mexican locale; a design that could only happen at the Nobu Hotel Los Cabos. Design Solution. We designed a sequence of experiences, rooted in a strong design narrative, from the arrival, continuing through the entire property. Guests move from the exterior through architecture and into interior spaces seamlessly with material selections blending effortlessly. Restraint creates sculptural space and form evoking calmness. Careful planning responds to views, wind and sun. Detailing is refined and minimal, creating clarity.
The architecture of the serene entry court, leads to a stone-framed portal focused on the view of the grounds and the Pacific Ocean. Siting, orientation and building plan follow a principle – quiet, enclosed spaces leading to dramatic vistas – that provides guests with sweeping views or the Pacific, migrating whales and magnificent sunsets. Simple lines and light colors combine with granite, limestone, the local Cabo stone and finely finished woods – to create subtle connections between guests and the environment. Indoor/outdoor living is at the heart of Cabo style with color, art and texture. Elegant materials provide luxurious ambiance to the hotel interior combined with Japanese joinery techniques integrated into bespoke furniture pieces, teak soaking tubs, Shoji inspired closet doors and trellises.
The resort grounds merge the locale, including indigenous plantings, with a contemporary interpretation of Japanese garden principals. For example, the arrival features a “mountain” composition of Cabo stone symbolic of the adjacent landforms that gradually rises along the entry terminating in a perfect triangle. The journey then transitions into a dynamic Fire Courtyard followed by a calming Water fountain and finally into a sculptural Rock Garden. One of the great benefits of this significant project is that is created numerous construction jobs and long-term hospitality employment for the local community. Local artisans were employed and recognized for their craftsmanship. The local economy continues to be supported as the hotel sources locally grown food and services from farmers and the community.
Challenges. Designing and building a high caliber luxury resort in an extraordinary international setting introduces unique challenges. We met these challenges through our design process by maintaining the vision and by diligently focusing on the details. We thoughtfully selected local materials, created mock-ups, and were extremely hands-on during project management and construction administration phases. For example, the team traveled to Guadalajara to hand select accessories for the hotel and led countless site meetings with the ownership team, contractors, and specialty craftsmen.
