ELEMENTA

Valle De Guadalupe, Baja California

Type	Hotel, Spa, & Restaurant
Size	9 AC
Status	Under Construction
Awards	AIA\|LA Restaurant Design Awards

Located in the heart of Valle de Guadalupe, Elementa is a layered experience.

Each amenity is designed to truly immerse one into the countryside's beauty. From its public restaurant to the hotel spa, each space is designed to encourage one to not only unwind and relax, but also get away from the noise of everyday life and actively enjoy the project.

The project is divided up into six separate buildings throughout the site.

The Public Space − The restaurant neighboring the hotel lobby
The Private Space − The residential villa along the edge of the property
The Semi-Private Space − The hotel lobby at the project's entry, the spa between the restaurant and residential house; the hotel clusters spread throughout the site; and the pool at the property's center

The Lobby

Located at the project's entry, the lobby is at the helm of the project. Whether you are checking-in to the hotel or on your way to the restaurant, the small and welcoming building greets everyone who visits the project.

The Restaurant

With the rise of culinary hotspots in Valle de Guadalupe, we sought out to create a space that would not only be successfully integrated into the valley's beautiful landscape, but also compliment it.

We set out to create a space where you could enjoy a culinary hot spot while surrounded by views of rolling vineyards and mountains.

Through the use of glass accordion doors around the restaurants primary space and a semi-open wooden pergola, the lines between an indoor and outdoor space are blurred, immersing the customers into the landscape.

In 2021, we were honored to participate and receive the Honor Award in the Unbuilt Restaurant category of the AIA|LA Restaurant Design Awards.

The Residential Villa

A villa, in Renaissance Italy, was a country estate that was generally associated with leisure and the pleasures of country life.

We reworked the villa's traditional, Italian concepts to form a more modern space while maintaining it's essential characteristics; the first floor is raised to create the sense of hierarchy, the building is − albeit due to its circular form − symmetrical, and it is eccentrically adorned with elegant materials and simple furniture.

The Room Clusters

The hotel itself is made up of room clusters, a spa, and pool area − amenities that will make you want to extend your stay.

The Clusters

In order to maintain the spirit and language of Valle de Guadalupe's buildings − conservative, two-story buildings with varying lengths − we split up the hotel rooms into clusters of four. This allowed us to more comfortably place the clusters throughout the site without creating a single, massive building containing all of the rooms and having to remove the neighboring olive trees.

Instead of replacing an olive tree with a cluster, we found it more fitting to incorporate the olive trees into the project. By placing the olive tree at the heart of the cluster, its gentle dominance in the hierarchy.

The VIP Clusters

The clusters are again divided but now hierarchically. The VIP clusters, unlike the other clusters, follow the model of the villa with raised first floors and private balconies containing their own fire pits and pools.

Through the use of clusters instead of a traditional hotel building, each room is immersed into the surrounding olive trees, enhancing the sense of separation and privacy.

The Spa

We wanted the language of the spa to feel different but not out of place.

We wanted the language of the design to follow the characteristics of the building, although it is distinct from the other amenities it belongs to the same family.

The Pool Area

The pool area is a perfect combination of an oasis and a hotel amenity. Its separation from the other amenities not only enhances its privacy, but also isolates the noise that it can emit, maintaining the other guests undisturbed and unaware.

The bar and bathrooms are neatly tucked amongst the foliage in order to keep the pool area clean and uninterrupted.

The pool is accompanied by two separate jacuzzi, isolated from the pool area in order to create a more intimate environment, contrasting that of the pool's; a space where couples can seek a more private and intimate space where exterior noise is drowned out by the rustling of the surrounding olive tree leaves.