Architects: Taller Héctor Barroso
Area: 5,000 m²
Photographs: César Béjar
Team: Alan Rojas, Alice Moreno, Camila Ulloa, Kevin Sandoval, Paloma Sánchez, Paulina Robledo, Salvador Saracho
Status: First phase completed
Municipality: Los Cabos
Country: Mexico
Cabo Sports Complex, designed by Taller Héctor Barroso in Los Cabos, Mexico, integrates earthen walls with the desert landscape to host the region’s annual Mexican Open tennis tournament. The 5,000-square-meter venue includes a sunken stadium, tennis courts, a clubhouse, and a courtyard, with rectilinear buildings made of rammed earth and wooden elements to blend into the terrain. The design focuses on optimizing views and sun exposure while aligning tennis courts north to south. Future phases will add more courts, fields, and a food court.
Earthen walls at the Cabo Sports Complex, designed by Mexican firm Taller Héctor Barroso, blend harmoniously with the desert landscape, serving as the venue for the region’s annual Mexican Open tennis tournament. Situated in Los Cabos, a municipality in Baja California Sur, the complex occupies a cacti-filled site near the beach. Taller Héctor Barroso, based in Mexico City, created the design to fully embrace the site’s “beautiful and outstanding” natural setting.
The 5,000-square-meter Cabo Sports Complex serves as the new venue for the Mexican Open Los Cabos, a professional tennis tournament held annually each summer. Outside of the tournament, the site functions as a private sports club. According to the studio, “the combination of uses led to architecture with large open spaces that allow users to engage in various outdoor activities while enjoying the site’s exceptional views.”
The project is being developed in phases, with the first phase now complete. This phase includes a sunken stadium named The Crater, three tennis courts, a clubhouse with locker rooms, administrative areas, and a central courtyard. Furthermore, the site accommodates space for a 3,500-seat metal-framed stadium that can be assembled for the Mexican Open and disassembled when not in use.
The site’s buildings feature a rectilinear design, with windows and openings strategically positioned to optimize views and manage sun exposure. The walls are constructed from rammed earth, chosen to reflect the colors and textures of the surrounding desert. According to the studio, the load-bearing walls are reinforced with an internal steel grid for added structural support.
Wooden elements, such as beams and canopies, are crafted from weather-treated pine. The venue’s spatial organization was shaped by the need to align the tennis courts north to south to reduce sun glare for players. The layout was further influenced by the site’s proximity to the ocean. According to the team, “the design is based on two imperceptible axes perpendicular to one another, created by drawing a straight line between the site and its view of the sea.” The next phase of construction will include two additional tennis courts, soccer and football fields, and a food court.
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Project Location
Address: Corredor Turístico SJC-CSL Km 18.5, Cabo Real, 23405 San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
