The Kuki'o Beach Club in Hawaii features three facilities designed to respect the local culture and environment. Two stone carvings flank the entrance paying homage to Hawaiian artifacts. The buildings use simple designs with thatched roofs, lava stone, and tropical hardwoods to blend in with the natural surroundings. An art collection celebrates Hawaiian culture. The facilities include a spa with pools and treatment rooms in a lush landscape.

1. kuki'o golf club
Two heroic stone reproductions of a Hawaiian wood artifact flank the
entry as a presence of the Hawaiian culture.
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2. kuki'o golf club
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3. KuKi'o bEach club
The third facility, which houses the spa pavilions and pools, appears
similar on the exterior—but evinces a soft, serene tone on the interior.
aside from the complete panoply of fitness equipment, the cardio
pavilion also boasts a wraparound deck. The yoga and spin pavilion, as
well as the lap pool, are ensconced within a lush landscape. The open-air
locker rooms are appointed with bamboo privacy gardens, while the spa
treatment rooms were designed with a circular shape to promote the flow
of chi (energy).
The massing and exterior design, purposely simple, use few materials
Above site walls at the entrance to the Kuki’o beach club open to and details to convey the island’s character; after all, living in the tropics is
preserve an ancient hawaiian trail that runs through the site.
more about finding shelter from the sun and occasional rain, and enjoying
the beautiful setting. Thatched roofs contribute to the shade, while
lava stone walls create the direct connection to the volcanic land; coral-
hued plaster walls convey a sense of cool solace, and sensuous tropical
hardwoods summon the regional elements.
The art program for kuki’o is an important component for this facility and
is conceived of as an unthemed private collection with art and artifacts
that aid in mythologizing the grounds and spaces, and permeating the
club with a sense of history and island culture. The collection includes the
likes of significant contemporary hawaiian artists such as Yvonne cheng,
Barbara Yukoi, and Tom pico, among others.
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4. K U K I ' O B E ACH CLUB
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5. Nandana
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6. Nandana
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7. P u n tA s Ay u l I tA
sayulita, Mexico
ThiS 33-acre peninSula alongside the seaside village of Sayulita,
mexico is rare. attuned to the value of appropriate design and planning,
this regionally focused developer is driven to nurture the project in
various ways. it will be not only the place where the two partners and
their families will live, but the project also contains a triple bottom
line business objective wherein ultimate success is achieved with
consideration paid to economic, ecological, and community factors.
The developer was attracted to our firm’s design reputation for hand-
crafting resort projects. it was agreed that a best practices sustainable
approach would be incorporated into the planning and design effort. We
concluded that 62 private residences and a 1,000-square-meter club-
house were the carrying capacity of the property. The hillside homes
blend with the environment maintaining mountain forms and preserving
natural drainage. roadways are sized for carts, and low retaining walls of
local stone masonry terrace the hillsides for minimum environmental dis-
turbance. xeriscape with native plantings will aid in water conservation.
There is a strong refuge and prospect aspect to the intimate and shady
valley, where the club’s individual palapa pavilions nestle under canopies
of oil palms and gumbo-limbo trees, with views of the bay and Sayulita
Village. during the daytime, sun-dappled shade trees offer canopies
against the sky; at night, the stars, lights, and faint sounds of Sayulita
create another distinct experience. large granite boulders eroded by
shoreline waves add ruggedness and privacy to the setting.
Three single-family residential prototypes were designed to fit into the
hillsides and find commonality with the regional vernacular. The club
amenity itself is designed as a tropical village of thatched pavilions
for the social functions: the arrival (concierge) palapa; bar and dining
palapas; outdoor pursuits; fitness and library palapa; the spa with locker
and treatment palapas; and the sunset bar palapa on the pacific side of
the peninsula. The individual palapas were carefully sited to attain the
authenticity of a hillside village.
To the fullest extent possible, all local materials and craftsmen will be
used. as opposed to a formulaic trendy resort, the entire program is
one that recognizes the importance of an appropriate handcrafted and
sustainable development within the host community.
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8. p u N Ta s ay u l i Ta
creating a retreat, a place to get away to
find solace and harmony in this special piece
of coastline, means enabling all design
aspects to contribute to a sense of sanctuary,
a respect of nature and the context. it also
means testing ourselves at every decision-
making junction to determine what the
experience wants to be.
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