Hacienda Wabi: the whisper of the jungle transformed into architecture by Mexican studio RA!

In the heart of the Tulum jungle, Hacienda Wabi emerges as a sanctuary that does not alter the landscape but blends seamlessly into it. Created by Mexican studio RA!, in collaboration with boutique developer Namus, this residential complex breathes with the vegetation, allowing time to weave itself among its staggered volumes, as if the passing of centuries had found shelter in every wall and terrace.

The architecture of Hacienda Wabi evokes the ancient ruins of the region: blocks ascend softly, retreating skyward, echoing ancestral dwellings that once belonged to these lands. In this gesture, RA! creates a poetic bridge between what once was and what is now, opening the way to a new way of inhabiting space.  

A layered sensory experience

Spread across three levels, the fifteen apartments are arranged around a fragmented inner courtyard, whose corners and winding paths invite slow discovery. Each level offers a different way of relating to the jungle: on the ground floor, expansive gardens and reflective pools that act as mirrors of calm; on the first floor, terraces with jacuzzis that encourage introspection and repose; and on the upper floor, roof gardens that open towards the canopy, blurring the threshold between architecture and the green horizon.

A skin that breathes with its surroundings

The project’s materiality springs from the site itself: a solid base of regional stone grounds the building firmly, crowned by walls finished in Chukum—a natural Mayan coating, warm to the touch, regulating both temperature and luminosity. Neutral tones allow the jungle to become the true visual protagonist, wrapping walls and slabs with its exuberant greenery. Perimeter planters slide down from the terraces like architectural roots, enabling vegetation to grow, so that the jungle reclaims and coexists with the built form.

Hacienda Wabi incorporates passive strategies in dialogue with sustainability: cross ventilation and natural lighting ensure cool, luminous interiors. Solar panels on the rooftops underline its ecological commitment, while vegetation is not mere ornament but a living part of the building.

At Hacienda Wabi, architecture dissolves; more than a dwelling, it is a way of inhabiting time itself—respectful, like the pulse of the Earth.

Project: Hacienda Wabi.
Location: Tulúm, Quintana Roo, México.
Type: Edificio de Apartamentos Residencial.
Architecture: RA!.
Design team: RA!: Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar, Santiago Sierra, Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Alejandro Hernández, Lourdes Gámez y Mateo Vázquez del Mercado.
Client: Namus.
Completion: septiembre 2023.
Surface area: 1.800 m².
Developer: Namus.
Interior Design: Namus + Casa Portal + RA!

Photography: Ariadna Polo.
Structural engineering: EMX.

Source: Ra!

Ra!

RA! is an architecture workshop founded by Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar and Santiago Sierra in 2017 based in Mexico City. RA! understands architecture as the study and production of spaces to excite and protect the human being, which is why through this thought, the classification of projects from human relations arises. That is to say, personal, interpersonal and social relations.

His practice is in a constant evolutionary search for design and experimentation is an inherent process of his vision. It is thanks to this search that new design possibilities and unknown tools are explored in order to maintain current thinking. The studio seeks an architectural proposal through questioning, research of the environment and the use of various tools ranging from drawing to the production of videos, models and coordination with specialists that allow to express, explore and communicate every detail, with the aim to excite those who inhabit it.

RA! He focuses on projects and works in relation to architecture, urbanism and interventions to space, some of his experimental projects have been exhibited in galleries and museums such as; Archivo de Diseño y Arquitectura, Museo Numismático Nacional, Harvard GSD Kirkland Gallery, La Laguna, Museo de América de Madrid among others. The workshop has acquired various recognitions through competitions such as the Felix Candela Award in 2019, as well as: “Hacienda Wabi”, “Casa LL”, “CDSJ” and “Mirador Brisas del Marqués”. His works have also been nominated for best building of the year by Archdaily and published by different media such as: Architectural digest and Reforma newspaper. It is one of Exágono Magazine’s favorite studios.

RA! is an expression of encouragement, enthusiasm and enthusiasm.

Project by RA!