SHA Wellness Clinic: When Architecture Meets Wellness

Overlooking Isla Mujeres and nestled in a natural landscape of mangroves and crystal-clear waters, SHA Wellness Clinic is an exclusive health and wellness center located in the Caribbean region of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Designed by Sordo Madaleno, the facility combines scientific medicine, holistic therapies, and nutrition, offering a personalized experience tailored to each guest.

Architecture Inspired by the Tropical Landscape

The project—winner of an invited competition in 2018—stands out for its fluid and dynamic silhouette, characterized by clean lines and white surfaces evoking the motion of waves. Outdoor pathways distributed across multiple levels reinforce the dialogue between architecture and nature, providing guests with an immersive experience within the landscape.

Spread over 11 floors, the complex includes a hotel with 101 rooms, a wellness clinic with 32 residences, a fitness area, a spa, and spaces dedicated to aesthetic treatments, merging functionality and beauty.

The building is organized into three distinct sections to ensure privacy and comfort: the central body, facing the mangrove forest, houses wellness, fitness, and hydrotherapy areas across the first six floors. The hotel rooms are located in the northern section, between the second and eighth floors, while the wellness residences are situated in the southern portion and on the top two levels.

One of the most distinctive features of the project is the presence of large cantilevered overhangs, extending up to 50 meters with no visible supports. This architectural solution not only enhances panoramic sea views but also creates a sense of lightness and suspension.

A Dialogue Between Interior and Exterior

The design emphasizes continuity between indoors and outdoors through large glass walls that open onto panoramic terraces with 360-degree views of the Caribbean Sea. The interiors, developed in collaboration with Alejandro Escudero, feature natural materials and warm tones inspired by sand and local vegetation, creating a strong connection with the surrounding environment.

The site’s complexity required efficient construction solutions, including a reinforced concrete structure and short-pile foundations designed to adapt to geotechnical and ecological conditions while minimizing environmental impact.

To protect local biodiversity, native plant species such as Thrinax radiata palms and Hymenocallis littoralis lilies were carefully selected. A sensory and productive garden completes the guest experience, in line with SHA Wellness Clinic’s holistic philosophy.

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