Ocean Courtyard Compound | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Designed for a double-lot residence within the El Dorado Golf & Beach Club, this contemporary garden extends Ricardo Legorreta's architecture through a sequence of lush courtyards, pools, and outdoor living spaces. Mature specimen palms and carefully selected plant material established an immediate sense of permanence while softening the bold architectural forms.

Set within the El Dorado Golf & Beach Club in Cabo San Lucas, this residence occupies a rare double lot, allowing the landscape to unfold as a collection of interconnected outdoor rooms rather than a single garden. Working closely with Ricardo Legorreta's architecture, the design balances expansive entertaining spaces with intimate courtyards that create privacy, shade, and moments of quiet throughout the property.

One of the project's primary challenges was establishing a mature landscape from the day of installation. Large specimen palms and mature nursery-grown trees were carefully selected and placed to provide immediate scale and enclosure, while layered tropical planting reinforced the feeling of a long-established garden. Every significant palm, tree, and planting composition was individually positioned to create a cohesive landscape from the outset.

A particularly unique design challenge occurred within one of the interior courtyards, where structural constraints beneath the paving eliminated the possibility of planting directly in the ground. A raised planter was integrated into the architecture, providing sufficient soil volume for a specimen tree while preserving the clean geometric character of the courtyard and introducing a vertical focal point that enriches the surrounding living spaces.

The completed landscape weaves architecture, water, planting, and outdoor living into a seamless composition, creating a contemporary retreat that feels both refined and deeply rooted in the character of Cabo.