Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – After being celebrated for excellence in its architecture and interior design at last year’s Ibero-American Biennial CIDI of Interior Design, Design and Landscaping, Grand Velas Los Cabos was nominated and won at the next level in this year’s II World Biennial of Interior Design and Landscaping 2018-2019 Latin America Chapter.
The hotel was awarded Gold Medal in the Hospitality Hotels, Resorts & Spa category for excellence in the collective work of its architecture and interior design studios. A first for any hotel, the interiors, furnishings and decoration of its various restaurants and public areas of the hotel were commissioned to six different firms. These included Elias and Elias Architects, Melin Castro Designs, Ernesto Vela Architects, Cassal Diseño, Niz + Chauvet Arquitectos and Ezequiel Farca.
The winning projects will compete in October 2019 for the Gold Medal worldwide, with architecture and design studies from Europe, Asia and Africa.
About Grand Velas Los Cabos’ Design:
Grand Velas Los Cabos is an oasis in the middle of the contrasting landscapes of the area made up of beautiful beaches, boulders, desert and deep blue sea. Ricardo Elias used dividing walls between the balconies of each of the 304 rooms to give a unique character and interesting rhythm to the façade of the hotel. Due to the curvature of the building, these dividing walls of trapezoidal shape mimic white sails. The purpose of the architectural element is to connect the building with its main neighbor, the sea. Another architectural standout is the curved, half-moon design of the hotel. It catches eyes with an iconic grand entrance that’s open air, three stories high and over 300 ft. above sea level. Upon exiting their transportation, guests are immediately greeted with a sparkling ocean view, framed by over scale Velas walls. These great walls were designed to not only give an impressive scale to the space but also block the wind currents and provide shade to make the lobby a comfortable location for guests. The covering of the walls is of wood-textured ceramics in colors of clear and dark sand, and their imposing design of stripes evoke on one side the sea horizon and the other, the rocky character of the destination. Elías was recently recognized by Mexico Design magazine which annually awards a prize to the best of Mexico’s architecture for his 40 year career.