Located in the dense jungle of Tulum, Hacienda Wabi by RA! explores architecture as both ruin and landscape. Developed by Namus and completed in 2023, the project reimagines residential life through an architectural language that dissolves into its tropical context. Drawing from the formal remnants of pre-Hispanic settlements, RA! proposes a design that acknowledges the passage of time and embraces the inevitable reclamation of nature.
Hacienda Wabi Technical Information
- Architects1-4: RA!
- Location: Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
- Gross Area: 1,800 m2 | 19,375 Sq. Ft.
- Completion Year: 2023
- Photographs: © Ariadna Polo
We wanted the architecture to disappear into the jungle, to feel as though it had always been there, half-built, half-ruined, slowly being reclaimed by nature.
– RA! Design Team
Hacienda Wabi Photographs
Design Intent and Conceptual Framework
At the heart of Hacienda Wabi lies an architectural narrative centered on erosion and growth, memory and transformation. Rather than imposing a dominant form on the landscape, the project assumes the condition of a constructed ruin, an assemblage of stepped volumes, voids, and terraces that appear as if shaped by time rather than by intent. This deliberate fragmentation references ancient typologies, particularly the archaeological sites of the Yucatán Peninsula, while introducing a contemporary approach to collective dwelling.
RA!’s conceptual framework resists static composition. The building is not designed as a singular object but as a temporal entity, one that will slowly merge with its surroundings. Through this lens, architecture becomes a vessel for entropy, intentionally incomplete, and open to change. This notion aligns with the studio’s broader philosophy of prioritizing lived experience over rigid form and of engaging with the site as a dynamic ecological and cultural condition.
Spatial Organization and Programmatic Structure
The spatial arrangement of Hacienda Wabi is orchestrated around a central courtyard that functions more as a spatial generator than a void. Unlike traditional courtyard buildings, the core is fragmented into smaller patios and interstitial spaces, fostering an inward-looking topology that blurs the threshold between public and private realms. Circulation is intentionally indirect, defined by a network of stairways and meandering paths that privilege discovery over efficiency.
The project comprises 15 residential units spread across three levels. Each level offers a differentiated spatial experience. Ground-floor units are situated directly on the soil, featuring private gardens and plunge pools that extend the living space into the jungle. First-floor units incorporate terraces and jacuzzis, introducing moments of pause that mediate between enclosure and exposure. The uppermost units open to rooftop gardens, offering panoramic views of the treetops and reasserting the project’s vertical engagement with its site.
This vertical stratification is not only spatial but also experiential. By tiering the building’s massing, RA! facilitates access to light, air, and landscape across all levels, reinforcing an egalitarian approach to environmental quality. The design avoids prioritizing the upper units, instead distributing qualities such as privacy, vegetation, and horizon access with thoughtful equity.
Material Strategy and Environmental Performance
Materially, Hacienda Wabi seeks both environmental responsiveness and cultural continuity. The project’s base is constructed from regional stone, anchoring the building both geologically and symbolically to the site. Walls are coated in Chukum, a natural stucco derived from plant resin and limestone, traditionally used in the Yucatán for its durability and luminous quality. The material not only enhances interior brightness but also reduces reliance on synthetic coatings, contributing to a lower environmental footprint.
Environmental performance is achieved through passive strategies. The stepped configuration maximizes cross ventilation and daylight access, minimizing the need for mechanical systems. Planters along the perimeter façades support vegetation growth, mitigating solar gain while fostering microclimates within each unit. Rooftop solar panels supplement the building’s energy demand, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability without resorting to overt technological display.
Notably, the material palette remains subdued. Neutral tones in stone, sand, and stucco allow the surrounding jungle to assert visual dominance, placing the architecture in a supporting role. This restraint underscores RA!’s intent to create a porous boundary between the built and the natural, and to encourage the growth of a hybrid condition where architecture recedes into vegetation.
Contextual Integration and Architectural Significance
Tulum’s rapid urbanization has prompted increasing concern over ecological degradation and architectural homogeneity. Within this context, Hacienda Wabi positions itself as a counterpoint, a model for site-sensitive, small-scale development that does not seek to conquer the landscape but to coexist with it.
The project’s contribution lies not in formal innovation but in its atmospheric and environmental intelligence. RA! demonstrates how a deep reading of place, climate, and cultural memory can yield a design that is both contemporary and contextually grounded. Rather than romanticizing the jungle or commodifying vernacular aesthetics, Hacienda Wabi engages with its environment through subtle gestures, material authenticity, and an openness to the weathering and decay that come with time.
Hacienda Wabi Plans
Hacienda Wabi Image Gallery
About RA!
RA! is a Mexico City–based architecture studio founded in 2017 by Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar, and Santiago Sierra. The firm focuses on creating architecture rooted in context, material exploration, and lived experience, emphasizing emotional resonance over formal expression. RA!’s work often explores the intersection between landscape, memory, and environmental sensitivity.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client / Developer: Namus
- Design Team (RA!): Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar, Santiago Sierra, Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Alejandro Hernández, Lourdes Gámez, Mateo Vázquez del Mercado
- Engineering: EMX Structural Engineering
- Interior Design: Namus, Casa Portal, RA!
