The Xiqué Boutique Hotel by Mexico-based Estudio Carroll emulates the studio’s core ethos of ensuring a sustainable future and visualising concepts that are avant-garde, transgressive and conscientious. An excerpt from the studio’s official release reads, “We believe that architecture goes beyond simple structures; it is a catalyst for joy and harmony capable of transforming communities and uplifting the human spirit. Our design philosophy focuses on pushing boundaries and creating spaces that inspire.”

Founded by Miguel Angel Carroll Zopfy, Estudio Carroll is an architecture, sculpture and design studio based in Mexico City and Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. The studio focuses on understanding the current needs of modern architecture and combining it with regional aesthetics as well as adding elements and spaces that can make the design energy-efficient and sustainable. Emulating these concepts in their design for Xiqué Boutique Hotel, Estudio Carroll conceives a space that exists in conjunction with the proximal environment, aesthetics and structures while also appending social and economic development in the region. Further, the facade design of the hospitality project enhances the architectural character of the street and serves as a vibrant and welcoming landmark building.

Placed on a site measuring 278 sq m, Xiqué Boutique Hotel houses eight rooms, a ground-floor restaurant and a rooftop terrace with a pool offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. The Mexican architecture studio, beyond utilising curves to soften the edges of the structure, emphasises the orientation of the building and the optimal placement of different spaces housed within it. This is done to ensure optimal indoor temperatures, direct the flow of air within the building and reduce the overall cost of artificial heating and cooling.

For instance, the southern facade, while the longest one in the building, primarily houses circulation zones to keep habitable zones away from the warmth of the southern sun. The eastern face, too, houses back-of-house facilities and utility units such as storage rooms, laundry spaces and washrooms. While the ground floor and terrace also house the reception area and the pool, respectively, on the western edge of the southern facade, the first and second floors contain rooms in this zone. These rooms also additionally face north and west and overlook the garden. By structuring the plan in a way such that the western face of the building wraps around the garden, the Mexican architects have managed to ensure a comfortable, habitable environment in the central and northern zones of the building. Further, the rooms, restaurant and sun deck overlook the garden and the ocean and enjoy the prevailing winds flowing in through grills and private terraces on the western facade. While a cool breeze passes the Pacific Ocean and the hotel’s garden to enter the building, hot air exits the structure through the staircase lobby placed on the southeast corner of Xiqué Boutique Hotel.

Some other passive cooling techniques employed in the hospitality design pertain to the materiality of the hotel. The architects chose materials that are both commonly used in the region and are known to help keep the building cool and dry in the tropical and humid climate of Puerto Escondido. Most of the surfaces in the building are covered in earthy pink chukum, a stucco finish—made from the sap of the chukum tree—which reduces heat absorption and is waterproof. The lattices, doors and railings, on the other hand, are made using palm wood, predominant in the region. Legally harvested Macuil wood is generously used in the hotel interiors and clay slats are utilised to make the exterior floors of the hotel.

Further, the Mexican designers opted for some nature-based solutions to mitigate potential environmental impacts. These include the preservation of existing trees on site, the creation of a lush garden and the inclusion of an artificial wetland system within it. This allows the wastewater produced on-site to regain its quality via its movement through the mangroves, marshes and wetlands in the garden. “The Artificial Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment (AWWT) integrated within the site intensifies upward horizontal flow aided by aeration, which, with the help of pretreatment consisting of a septic tank, achieves the purification of wastewater generated as a result of activities carried out on-site. This approach demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, innovation and biodiversity, offering a tangible solution to environmental issues in Puerto Escondido,” Zopfy shares.

The curvaceous form of the building was conceived to fluidly weave around the garden and preserve the pre-existing vegetation on site. These fluidly embarked boundaries, in addition to demarcating semi-shaded terraces, also make space for nooks that internally house extruded habitable and utility spaces while externally adding to the aesthetic appeal of the hotel design.

Project Details
Name: Xiqué Boutique Hotel
Location: Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
Typology: Hospitality design
Architect: Estudio Carroll
Lead Architect: Miguel Angel Carroll Zopfy
Built-up Area: 620 sq m
Year of Completion: 2024