At One with Nature

The treehouse is one of those seminal architectural forms embedded in people’s dreams and memories: a simple friendly structure; the ascent up from the surrounding ground surface; the pleasure of being safely positioned amid branches and tree foliage as if reborn within nature. Taller Frida Escobedo has achieved this kind of archetypal shelter with its treehouse pavilions artfully distributed amid the forest for Boca de Agua, a stylish yet intimate resort at Bacalar near the famous Lagoon of the Seven Colors on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula.

There are three pavilion types: the Jungle Treehouse (45 sq. m), the Master Pool Treehouse (75 sq. m), and the two-bedroom Pool Treehouse (90 sq. m). All are siblings of each other: constructed from robust timber components – with a little help from steel posts painted black so as to almost disappear; accessed via small concrete staircases into generous screened porches; and with pitched roofs that direct the eye upward to the canopy of Chicozapote, mahogany, Maya nut, and Ceiba trees and the blue sky above.

If you pay attention, you may well spot a troupe of spider monkeys or some shy foxes patrolling the undergrowth.
You certainly cannot miss, every morning, the remarkable dawn chorus of complex birdsong. The treehouses rest lightly on the ground with their stout posts made from Chicozapote (or sapodilla) wood and one opaque block (a skinny chamber or fattened column?) that houses the private plunge pool accessed from above. An air conditioning unit is allowed to hang from below the raised floor, as is, in this its ancestral territory, a welcome hammock.

The design emphasizes nature in decisions at multiple scales, from minimally disruptive site planning to horizontal openness to the adjacent trees, to the choice of materials and furnishings (many fabricated from recycled or leftover wood from local milling industries). Each treehouse has its own tree growing up through an internal void open to the sky. Careful attention has been paid to the planar composition of frame and in-fill panels and to screens and balustrades, made from skinny mahogany rods, that allow for air and glimpses of the exterior world.

Escobedo has established an international reputation with temporary installations (such as the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion in London) that prioritize gathering and with elegant interiors (such as Aesop stores in Brooklyn and Miami) that present a few select materials to intimate esthetic effect. In the bedrooms at Boca de Agua, these latter qualities are evident in the minimalist resolution of storage units (no untoward hardware) and the cabinet-like bathrooms accessed via mirrored double doors. Outdoor showers are lined, like the plunge pools, in skinny dark green tiles.

Here, life orbits about a central pavilion – reception, bar, restaurant, open kitchen – constructed from narrow concrete pillars along its perimeter and with a quadrilateral roof of the same material punctured by two square ceiling apertures. It is less a treehouse, more a platform with services tucked underneath; a secular temple, perhaps, encountered in the forest. It overlooks a beautiful outdoor pool tiled in a larger sibling of the elongated dark green tiles and a boardwalk that leads away between the trees down to the astonishingly blue lagoon. Escobedo has achieved an apt dialogue with the natural world. You may never want to leave.

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Boca de Agua Resort - © Guy Magzianov, courtesy of Boca de Agua

Boca de Agua Resort - © Guy Magzianov, courtesy of Boca de Agua

A sand-hued palette dominates the restaurant’s outdoor spaces, enhanced by a long bench made of natural materials and wooden tables with hay-stuffed chairs, which give a rustic touch to the environment.

Boca de Agua Resort - © Leandro Bulzzano, courtesy of Boca de Agua

Boca de Agua Resort - © Tulum Pluton, courtesy of Boca de Agua

A sand-hued palette dominates the restaurant’s outdoor spaces, enhanced by a long bench made of natural materials and wooden tables with hay-stuffed chairs, which give a rustic touch to the environment.

Boca de Agua Resort - © Tulum Pluton, courtesy of Boca de Agua

The restaurant is enclosed in a wood-frame structure with a coffered ceiling that follows the grid of open walls, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The space is dominated by a long dark wood counter with high seating that contrasts with the light wood structure and the beige floor.

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

The bedroom is enveloped by slatted glass windows and wood-paneled surfaces, which create an intimate and inviting space. A half-height cabinet extends along the entire wall behind the bed without compromising the essential design of the room.

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

A wooden piling with an open structure of beams and pillars creates a relaxation area suspended over water, perfect for being completely enveloped by the surrounding landscape.

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

A wooden walkway creates a path immersed in vegetation, which leads to the piling over the sea, creating a close connection with nature.

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

A concrete ramp leads up to the accommodations measuring 45, 75, and 90 sq. m, distributed across different volumes with solid wood frames and resting on sturdy Chicozapote wood pilotis.

Boca de Agua Resort - © César Béjar, courtesy of Boca de Agua

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