Where Landscape, Art, and Water Converge

Set within the flat terrain of Sal Island, Cape Verde, this resort hotel reimagines topography as a design tool—using architecture and landscape to sculpt elevation, movement, and experience. Inspired by the hypnotic rhythm of the Atlantic and the surreal forms of Salvador Dalí, the site’s centerpiece is a swimming pool that doubles as terrain—an abstract gesture of water and grade.

The pool’s plan is defined by a morphing round-oval geometry, sliced by an imaginary bisecting plane. Along this axis, the landscape shifts: one side rises, the other descends. The result is a tiered pool system—upper and lower basins joined by a cascading waterfall—that transforms flatness into flow.

This elevation strategy extends beyond the water. Guest rooms and amenities on the upper terrace connect to the raised pool deck and lobby level, while lower-level rooms open directly to the lower pool, flowing seamlessly into the beach’s natural grade. The building wings curve around this central feature, evoking the oscillation of ocean waves and providing shelter from Sal’s coastal winds.

Here, water, land, and architecture are one continuous gesture—framing views, creating thresholds, and shaping a surreal yet grounded guest experience rooted in movement, memory, and art.