rammed earth walls envelop this new sports complex by hector barroso in mexico

phase one complete for the cabo sports complex in mexico

Sited in one of Mexico’s most scenic landscapes, on a deserted site in Baja California Sur, the Cabo Sports Complex is set to be the new venue for the Mexican Tennis Open. Local architecture practice Taller Hector Barroso has completed phase one of the 5,000 sqm project, built near the beach where the Cabo San Lucas-San Jose del Cabo highway cuts through.

Minimal in its design but impactful in its scale and meaning, the Cabo Sports Complex seeks to integrate with its desertic context through unique materiality, rammed earth, and precise architectural forms embued with rhythmic patterns and stage-like aesthetics that recall the game of Tennis. 

all images © César Béjar

mirroring the quietude & desertic tones of the landscape 

Elaborating on his design, architect Hector Barroso writes: ‘Several compacted earth walls emerge from the site and subtly alter it to accommodate the required program while sheltering it from the desert sun. Understanding the meaning of the landscape was crucial for the project. It showed a world where it was possible to create an architecture that, instead of making noise, seeks to remain silent in its context, resting amid the extraordinary natural spectacle we are offered by nature.’

Exemplifying his appreciation for the arid landscape surrounding the complex are meditative visual compositions, whereby glazed openings frame a single tree or cactus — spotlighting these native species as a kind of painting or sculpture to admire quietly. 

creating meditative frame compositions against the rammed earth backdrop

the 5,000 sqm Cabo Sports Complex will host the Mexican Tennis Open

project info:

name: Cabo Sports Complex 

location: Baja California Sur, Mexico

architecture: Taller Hector Barroso | @tallerhectorbarroso

team: Alan Rojas, Alice Moreno, Camila Ulloa, Kevin Sandoval,

Paloma Sánchez, Paulina Robledo, Salvador Saracho

photography: César Béjar | @cesarbejarstudio 

built area: 5,000 sqm 

status: first phase built