Derived from Nature
The design of the JW Marriott in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is intended to create an intimate relationship with this spectacular natural setting, blending architecture and art with the site’s powerful desert landscape and an endless panorama of the Pacific Ocean. Though separated from the water by a 35-foot-tall dune, the resort creates an immediate connection from entry to the ocean through a horizon-framing main arrival hall and intuitive, adventure-evoking pathways throughout the resort.
Design Principal Jim Olson of FAIA main inspiration was the power of the ocean and bringing its power into every part of the hotel. When you move through the spaces, there are always moments where your eye can focus on the outdoors. The architecture is designed to frame nature.
Smooth concrete and stucco buildings throughout the complex, whose colour was derived from the sand of the surrounding desert, were designed to appear native to the site. Open travertine covered hallways and floors combined with local soil aggregates, further blur the physical boundaries of indoors and outdoors, site and architecture. Specially commissioned artworks from Mexican artists are woven throughout the interior and exterior spaces of the resort, as well as individual guest rooms.