gris breaks a large beach club into open-air volumes
Instead of concentrating a large hospitality program into a single waterfront building, Gris | Estudio de Diseño + Arquitectura distributes Rosa Jamaica Beach Club across a network of open-air pavilions in El Paredón Buena Vista, Guatemala. The 1,750-square-meter project combines a restaurant, bars, event spaces, yoga studio, and recreational facilities, using fragmentation as its primary architectural strategy. On one of Guatemala’s most environmentally sensitive stretches of Pacific coastline, the design seeks to maintain continuity with the surrounding landscape.
The team pairs exposed concrete, natural timber, and locally sourced materials with generous roof overhangs, shaded circulation spaces, and large structural openings that encourage cross-ventilation. By relying on passive cooling strategies, the architecture reduces dependence on mechanical air conditioning.
all images by Denise Lipman
interconnected pavilions open toward the pacific coast
The project features a sequence of interconnected volumes positioned across a site of more than 2,000 square meters. Open circulation routes, framed views, and landscaped voids preserve constant connections to the beach and tropical vegetation, while each pavilion is oriented to capture prevailing ocean breezes.
The organization of the program supports multiple uses. The ground floor accommodates the restaurant, professional kitchen, bars, pool facilities, and changing rooms, while the upper level expands the hospitality program with elevated views toward the Pacific Ocean. A separate yoga studio is positioned away from the more active entertainment areas.
The architects at Gris oganize the Rosa Jamaica Beach Club as a collection of smaller buildings instead of a single beachfront structure. The restaurant, pool, yoga studio, and event spaces are separated by gardens and open walkways, so moving through the project means moving through the site. Views of the Pacific, shaded paths, and naturally ventilated spaces shape the experience as much as the buildings do.
the beach club combines open-air pavilions with tropical planting and water features
multiple pavilions are arranged around the swimming pool
a thatched pavilion anchors the central pool area