Azulik is a hotel and Mayan wellness centre slowly emerging within the beach-side forests of Tulum, Mexico. This building complex is one, that perhaps, has to be seen by everyone at least once in their lifetime. It is an edifice that is on my bucket list, and I hope to see it one day. It is architecture working with nature, defying gravity and expectations while bringing a sense of peace and oneness with Mother Earth. It is simply breath-taking.
Upon my first encounter with Azulik in a Dezeen article (Gibson, 2018), I already realised what a mesmerizing building and interior it was. It was exactly what I sought to achieve at the time with my BA final major project. It was a direct opposition to today’s architectural norms, it was a creation that was just as nonconformist as my own concept was. In a way, it gave me an example of what a possible solution could be to my proposed problem: why does architecture have to be so dull, made up of mostly box-like shapes? Why can we not use softer elements inspired by nature and incorporate nature? Why can we not create forms that reach back to our roots, and ultimately, our original instinctive way of living? Why are we not creating things to elevate us as people? And why do we, as designers, have to create designs that shout? Why can we not create designs that gently whisper to their audiences' souls?
These questions, still to this day, make me want to investigate the topic, and I am quite keen to further research and hopefully get an answer for at least myself, to apply to my own life. Perhaps I could set an example with it of what this heterotopia could look like, and maybe others would join.
Although my first experience with Azulik was a brief design analysis for a case study, it still left me almost obsessively thinking about this place and what a wonderful creation it is. ‘An Otherworldly Cultural Complex Grows Out of the Jungle in Mexico’ (Zara, 2019). That is how Architectural Digest (2019) decided to call their article about this fascinating oasis for artists. They start the article by describing the very obvious features of this building that first grabbed my attention as well, “Live trees emerge from holes in the polished concrete floor and shoot straight through tunnels that hang down from the ceiling. And when it rains, the holes in the roof funnel water directly to their roots” (Zara, 2019). That sentence alone shows how architecture can work with nature in symbiosis. However, the miracle of this space does not stop at its visible physical features and construction. It was built, as “a contemplative space where art convenes with nature” (Zara, 2019), and this idea resonates with me as an artist, a designer, and a human being on a very deep, and emotional level, because nature is art, and art is human nature.
The whole concept of this place is very obvious in every fibre of each construction. Starting with the fluid rebar and concrete construction, which was moulded to fit its natural environment. It rejects the way we currently do things. It does not need a flat, previously cleaned and prepared surface. It works with nature, not against it. The fact that “visitors to the gallery must take off their shoes before stepping on the undulating flooring” (Gibson, 2018), and how its interior compliments both the concrete shapes and the interwoven natural elements through “spiralling, elevated walkways paved with bejuco vines and cosy hidden nooks” (Zara, 2019) all make me wonder…
Why are we, as designers not moulding our designs more to fit their surroundings? Do we as designers, not have an obligation to elevate human well-being with our designs? Are we not doing the opposite by disregarding nature, getting rid of it, just to make space for another building where we can host new interiors? Should we not take into account, when we design then, what our modern audience and specific communities need and come up with solutions that cooperate with and respect their surroundings?
I think we should. I think we could mould our design in a way, where we do not suffocate nature. I propose we could do this in a way where our goal is always to elevate people, to make them feel at home, help them slow down, and help them reconnect with themselves, perhaps through nature. I believe it is very much our responsibility to do so, because those types of designs are not just seen, but felt. They are felt deeply within our core.
The central art gallery within the complex, IK Lab houses various unusual exhibitions. As the expected design of this “space frees the art-viewing experience here from the formalities of the museum” (Zara, 2019), it allows visitors to engage and approach art in a more friendly and heartfelt way. The design although very unique and fascinating does not take away the attention from the art, it only elevates it and its audience, where they can meet in a very special way. The experience is visible even through watching the recording of these exhibitions. ‘The Medicine of Sounds’ is a sound experience merging sound and meditation (Azulik, 2022).
Figure 4. - 'The Medicine of Sounds' exhibition
‘Configurations’ also needs to be mentioned, an exhibition of pieces by various artists, that “stages poetic emanations mysteriously arising from the ground, subtle aerial systems of balance and the passage of time as reflected in spatial occurrences” (Azulik, 2018) also accompanied by traditional steam purification ceremony, to help heal the visitors from the inside out.
Figure 5. - 'Configurations' exhibition at IK Lab
The Designer of the complex and former painter, using the name Roth explains how the design process is more like improvisation to him (Zara, 2019). There is nothing rigid about the process he describes, “rather than draw premeditated plans, he and his team sculpt each building on site daily, disregarding what they did the day before or what they’ll do tomorrow. He directs the construction crew’s nudging of the strings and PVC pipes a bit to the left or right, higher or lower, until he’s satisfied with their dimensions” (Zara, 2019).
Perhaps this could be the reason why we currently do not design to accommodate surroundings, and instead, draw up plans on blank sheets of paper. It is easier and possibly even safer than the intuitive adventure Roth describes. But this very rigid process might be the downfall of exciting design and innovative solutions to problems. If everything is planned, and spontaneity is out of the question, then how could we expect the results to reflect nature, the environment, and the community? There is nothing pre-planned besides death in life when we think about it. Human beings and nature are very spontaneous and life always finds a way. So why should it not find a way in the way we design?
Reference List
Azulik. (2018). Configurations - IK LAB exhibition | AZULIK Tulum. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh3SvEPoe-8
Azulik. (2022). The Medicine of Sounds at AZULIK Uh May - Roth Sounds. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6fzT0FmkPo
Gibson, E. (2018). Guggenheim successor opens tropical-influenced IK Lab art gallery in Tulum. Dezeen.com. https://www.dezeen.com/2018/05/02/ik-lab-santiago-rumney-guggenheim-jorge-eduardo-neira-sterkel-art-gallery-azulik-tulum-mexico/
Zara, J. (2019). An Otherworldly Cultural Complex Grows Out of the Jungle in Mexico. ArchitecturalDigest.com. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/azulik-uh-may-tulum
Image Reference List
Figure 1. - Enchanting Transformation. (2019). Azulik Uh May, a new multidisciplinary cultural destination, opened in the jungle outside of Tulum at the beginning of December [Photograph]. ArchitecturalDigest.com. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/azulik-uh-may-tulum
Figure 2. - Dezeen. (2018). Guggenheim successor opens tropical-influenced IK Lab art gallery in Tulum [Photograph]. Dezeen.com. https://www.dezeen.com/2018/05/02/ik-lab-santiago-rumney-guggenheim-jorge-eduardo-neira-sterkel-art-gallery-azulik-tulum-mexico/
Figure 3. - Zara, J. (2019). Azulik Uh May, a new multidisciplinary cultural destination, opened in the jungle outside of Tulum at the beginning of December [Photograph]. ArchitecturalDigest.com. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/azulik-uh-may-tulum
Figure 4. - Azulik. (2022). The Medicine of Sounds at AZULIK Uh May - Roth Sounds. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6fzT0FmkPo
Figure 5. - Azulik. (2018). Configurations - IK LAB exhibition | AZULIK Tulum. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh3SvEPoe-8
Figure 6. - Zara, J. (2019). Construction of the central dome began in the spring.[Photograph]. ArchitecturalDigest.com. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/azulik-uh-may-tulum