"Hotel Terrestre is embedded in the landscape, as if it has been there for hundreds of years," says architect Alberto Kalach of his otherworldly masterpiece, 25 kilometres northwest of resort town Puerto Escondido in the state of Oaxaca. Alberto knows a thing or two about this area. It may be a half-day's drive from his Mexico City studio, Taller de Arquitectura X, but the pristine coastline famed for its surf is already home to a handful of his projects. So when approached by Carlos Couturier, co-founder of Mexican boutique hotel group Grupo Habita, to design a multi-sensorial property that redefines sustainable tourism, he jumped at the opportunity.
His environmentally sensitive approach to architecture has shaped several structures in the area, including Hotel Escondido and the award-winning restaurant Kakurega Omakase. These buildings hold their own in a landscape populated by hotspots like Casa Wabi, a retreat by starchitect Tadao Ando, and a permanent outdoor installation by artist Bosco Sodi.
Having previously worked with Carlos, Alberto knew what to expect. The brand, known for introducing boutique hotels Habita and Condesa DF to the country's capital, has 14 Mexican establishments, some designed by architectural luminaries such as India Mahdavi and Joseph Dirand. Alberto anticipated this project would differ greatly from Grupo Habita's existing offering; what he couldn't foresee was a somewhat mystical concept inspired by how aliens could imagine the dwellings of terrestrials on Earth.
This story is from the 120 edition of VISI.
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