The integration between nature and technology – where technology is understood as a necessary and intrinsic evolution in human nature – has guided the design of Pininfarina Architecture for the project of Aldea Uh Maylocated in the outer ring of Tulum, in the vicinity of Francisco Uh May, Mexico.
An archetype of a return to origins, in which psychophysical well-being is rediscovered as a priority by positioning itself at the center of the project and where technology is not invasive but is incorporated into nature as a tool for sustainable growth.
Aldea Uh May is positioned near the cultural center of Tuluma region that has always evolved in harmony with the existing natural context, revealing itself as a paradise in the Caribbean sea known for its biodiversity, the cenote (the sacred caves), and the reflections of the turquoise waters. The new design – designed by Pininfarina Architecture and led by real estate group Aldea Uh May – enhances the local natural landscape, making use of the principles of sustainable growth and integrated technology with the indomitable and wild nature of the surrounding tropical forest.
Aldea Uh May is grounded in spirituality, history and celebration of local culture, conceiving a design oriented on the well-being of the individual. Technology, innovation and the desire for progress are therefore part of the legacy handed down by the Mayan people, whose advanced knowledge of mathematics has allowed the creation of entire cities and urban agglomerations in complete harmony with the surrounding nature, designed to allow astronomical observations and studies.
Their equations were in fact useful in designing traditional Spiritual Structures and in building their medical and ecological knowledge.
Samuel Deaf | Chief Architect
“In line with the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – adopted in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity – our vision for Aldea Uh May is an inclusive and safe urban prototype, which will create a new community within an environment of reflection and meditation».
With over 20,000 square meters builton a land area of 20 hectares, in the community imagined by Pininfarina Architecture the design focuses on hospitality, on public and social spaces dedicated to entertainment and on the inspirations offered by the surrounding landscape.
Aldea Uh May’s masterplan takes shape around the paradigms of self-organization present in natureestablishing a socially and environmentally aware community, in which the experience of sharing takes on a new meaning.
The innovation of the intervention consists in starting with a bottom-up strategy, exploiting a new model of bottom-up sustainable development: starting from the citizens to build the city, starting from the individual to compose the community.
The services and comforts designed by Pininfarina Architecture provide for a mixed use that integrates residential, commercial and recreational. The grand entrance becomes a porous space that creates continuity between the jungle and the urban settlement, leading to botanical gardens with aromatic plants and medicinal herbs, wellness centers and spas dedicated to health and personal care and multifunctional centers used for physical and sensory, which can flexibly adapt to host events and promote local artists.
Pininfarina Architecture’s new intuition for Aldea Uh May was to make it one destination inspired by a conscious lifestyle, where technology and nature not only coexist, but collaborate in creating a new world to discover, in synergy with the wild spirit of the tropical forest. A destination dedicated to recalibration of one’s physical and mental well-being.