🌿 Zendaya Resort in Búzios: tropical architecture between understated luxury and climate intelligence
29 April 2026 · Anaïs Kong
Located in Búzios, a few hours from Rio de Janeiro, the Zendaya Resort stands out as a remarkable example of contemporary architecture adapted to the tropical climate. Halfway between luxury hotel and architectural laboratory, it offers an approach that is particularly relevant to projects developed in hot, humid zones, such as French Guiana.
🌴 Successful integration into the natural environment
Unlike many hotel complexes that impose themselves on their surroundings, the Zendaya takes the opposite approach: the building recedes in favour of the landscape.
- low-lying siting
- fragmented volumes
- extensive use of natural materials
The entire project seems to sit within the existing vegetation, creating visual continuity between inside and outside.
🧱 Materiality: restraint and efficiency
The choice of materials is particularly interesting: wood, stone, raw concrete, natural fibres.
The aim: to limit overheating, promote durability and create a soothing atmosphere. This approach results in architecture that is aesthetic, robust and suited to the tropical climate.
🌬️ Architecture designed for the climate
One of the Zendaya’s strengths lies in its passive management of thermal comfort.
1. Natural ventilation — the spaces are designed to capture airflows: cross-ventilating openings, generous volumes, no excessive partitioning. The result: a reduced need for air conditioning.
2. Solar protection — the buildings incorporate substantial roof overhangs, pergolas and natural plays of shade, which limit direct solar gain and improve comfort outdoors and indoors.
3. Indoor/outdoor relationship — the Zendaya deliberately blurs the boundary between inside and out: open terraces, semi-outdoor bathrooms, open-air circulation. A logic perfectly suited to tropical climates.
🏝️ An immersive spatial experience
Beyond the technical aspects, the project stands out for its sensory approach: fluid routes, framed views of nature, transitional spaces. Architecture becomes an experience, not simply a setting.
🧠 Lessons for our projects
In the context of projects in equatorial zones (particularly in French Guiana), several principles can be drawn:
- Prioritise passive solutions: natural ventilation, shading, suitable materials.
- Work on landscape integration: gentle siting, respect for the site, visual continuity.
- Think about uses: open spaces, flexibility, comfort without excessive dependence on equipment.
✍️ Conclusion
The Zendaya Resort perfectly illustrates a strong trend in contemporary architecture: designing less against the climate and more with it.
Elegant, discreet and technically relevant, this type of project is a direct source of inspiration for projects in tropical environments, where the challenges of comfort, durability and integration are central.