Arch. Leonardo Neve

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

In a world where climate change demands urgent responses, architecture has a fundamental role to play in ecological regeneration. Every project can become an agent of transformation.

One of the most relevant examples in Mexico is Viamarina Resort, a development that reimagines the coexistence of city, nature, and community through biophilic design, regenerative planning, and passive technology. Located on the northern coast of Yucatán, Viamarina not only respects the environment: it restores it, enhances it, and leaves it better than before.

What is biophilic design and why does it matter?

Biophilic design is based on the human need to connect with nature to improve health, well-being, and performance. It’s not just about plants or green aesthetics. It’s a philosophy that integrates:

Abundant natural light
Cross ventilation
Local and natural materials
Views of the landscape
Spaces that evoke calm, refuge, and exploration
Integration of water, shade, and biodiversity

At Viamarina Resort, biophilia is felt in every space: from the elevated villas to the pathways that wind through mangroves and native gardens.

A project sown with history

The Viamarina site is located on former henequen plantations. There, where the plants that fueled the Yucatecan economy once grew, the project aims to reforest, restore soils, and recover biodiversity.

This approach makes the development an example of how architecture can reconcile with the memory of the land.

More than 60% of the land is designated for ecological conservation

One of the project’s most compelling sustainability pillars is its decision to preserve over 60% of its 195.65 hectares as a nature reserve. This ecological corridor protects:

Mangroves
Lowland rainforest
Bodies of water
Wildlife corridors
Reforestation areas and pollinator gardens

Far from operating as a “decorative green space,” this reserve functions as a living system that regulates the microclimate, sequesters carbon, and strengthens environmental resilience.

Passive architecture: Viamarina integrates bioclimatic strategies that reduce energy consumption

Cross ventilation aligned with the prevailing northwest and southeast winds
Optimal solar orientation according to the site’s solar chart
Deep terraces and overhangs that generate natural shade
Low-impact, thermal materials
Vegetation that creates cool microclimates
Roofs and building envelopes adapted to the hot and humid climate

These decisions allow the architecture to function without relying excessively on mechanical systems, reducing emissions and operating costs.

BioAqua Park: water, landscape and well-being

This park is the ecological and recreational heart of the project.

Lazy rivers, lagoons, waterfalls, artificial cenotes, and native gardens offer sensory and educational experiences about the value of water in a fragile ecosystem like Yucatán.

The design combines landscape, recreation, and environmental learning into a single living system.

Colorín Island: elevated architecture to avoid touching the ground

An exemplary example of sustainability applied to architecture is Isla Colorín, a complex of elevated cabins that minimize the impact on the natural topography. By being raised on lightweight stilts, they allow for: