Drift San José
DRIFT SAN JOSÉ
Self Designed
CATEGORY
Hostel, Adaptive Reuse
LOCATION
San José Del Cabo, Mexico
YEAR
2016
Text description provided by architect.
In 2012 a run down 6 one bedroom apartment building on 600 square meters of land in the up and coming Art District in San Jose del Cabo’s colonial center was purchased with a goal to provide an upscale hostel in one of Mexico’s most expensive resort towns - an alternative to the array of expensive ocean front luxury resorts.
The concept was to provide a youthful, social and do-it-yourself no frills accommodation for independent travelers who prefer adventure and culture over all inclusive.
The renovation was done on a shoestring and consisted of turning the original 6 apartments into 8 hotel rooms, a staff kitchen office and laundry, guest coffee bar and retail space.
Leaving the original structure - but removing all aluminum windows, ceramic tiles, lighting, wood closets, doors, fixtures, and architectural flourishes-.
Partition walls were added, windows were enlarged, custom steel rolling doors were built, rustic concrete floors, patios, beds, and sinks were poured. In the second year a fire pit, bar, and swimming pool were added. In the third year, a hammock tower, food cart patio and event space were added.
Other upgrades included new propane, a water cistern, hot water and air conditioning. Minimal landscaping included crushed gravel, locally made bricks and the preservation of .15 seventy-five-year-old palms original to the property.
