Mindful Spirit

Miraval Resort and Spa

Tucson, AZ

Living Systems

New guestrooms, spa and private villas offer an immersive connection with the unique Sonoran desert environment. Situated to form a desert edge or ecotone, the buildings collect and direct water to native plantings that attract migratory birds and wildlife.

Mindfulness in the Desert

Miraval offers an opportunity for people to bring their lives into balance by living mindfully and engaging with the natural world. Exposed rammed earth walls using local soils create a tactile connection to this desert environment, timeless atmosphere, shelter from the desert sun, and passive heating and cooling.

Building Within a Continuum

The vision for these structures expands beyond the life of the resort and considers its role in a timeless environment. As ruins in a distant future, the walls are envisioned to slowly erode back into the desert floor and continue providing shelter for countless generations of Sonoran flora and fauna.