Blue and Green

Annie Block -- Interior Design, 2/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

At the largest sustainably minded resort in Mexico's Baja California, snowbirds will be walking-distance from the Sea of Cortez and surrounded by ecologically innovative architecture and 5,000 acres of nature preserve. The $3 billion project, called Loreto Bay, is being developed by the Trust for Sustainable Development's president, David Butterfield, in partnership with the Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo (FONATUR), which helped put Cancún and Los Cabos on the tourism map.

Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company's master plan for Loreto Bay conceives of a pedestrian-friendly village with adobe structures by the namesake firm of LEED-accredited architect Ayrie Cunliffe. The 8,000-acre project is to encompass 6,000 houses, including custom ones by such firms as Shubin + Donaldson Architects. Built of locally quarried compressed earth block, each house will run partly on solar and wind power and be cooled by a courtyard fountain. Hill Glazier Architects, Paul Duesing Partners, and Joszi Meskan Associates are collaborating on the beach club, while Moran Architects is handling the spas; designers for the restaurants, shops, and galleries have yet to be announced.