Casa Candela Residential Villas Designed with Cultural Integrity and Sustainability
Text by Myah Taylor | Photos by César Bejar
Villas Candela is a community of 12 private jungle villas in Region 15, Tulum, developed by Coba Capital and designed by Macías Peredo Architecture Studio with interior design by Studio Habitación 116. The project was the subject of a dedicated feature in GB&D Magazine (Green Building & Design), one of North America’s principal publications covering sustainable architecture, written by reporter Myah Taylor.
Jana Miháliková — now Founder of Heron Real Estate — represented the property at the time on behalf of Nest Seekers International and was interviewed for the article.
What is the architectural concept behind Villas Candela?
The 12 villas sit on a one-hectare site, arranged in concentric formation around a botanical arboretum of 854 m² — a layout inspired by pre-Hispanic garden traditions. Co-founder Salvador Macías described the intention directly: the architecture does not attempt to imitate Mayan ruins; it attempts to recall what has existed there since ancient times.
Each villa rises in a pyramidal, terraced formation designed to minimise its jungle footprint. The massing is functional as well as referential — terracing multiplies opportunities for natural light at each level. Rooftop sunbeds double as nocturnal observatories, a deliberate reference to the Mayan tradition of astronomy.
The primary structural material is chukum, an ancient Yucatecan stucco composed of resin from native chukum trees and limestone. It is water-resistant, climatically appropriate, and rooted in regional material heritage. Three-layered wood windows — designed in collaboration between Macías Peredo and Habitación 116 — handle light, cross-ventilation, insect protection, and hurricane resistance in a single system. Air conditioning is present but subordinate to passive climate strategy.
Candela was conceived as a 100% Mexican collaboration. The villas are finished with regionally sourced wood and custom-designed furniture, including pieces created exclusively for the project. Photography by César Béjar.
What defines Villas Candela as a long-term asset?
Candela’s sustainability infrastructure operates at a level uncommon at boutique scale. The community partners with Watch Water Mexico for on-site water treatment plants and biodigestors at each villa. A circular waste system composts organic waste through a local farm, which returns organic produce to the community. More than 70% of the 2.5-acre site is preserved as jungle — over 1,000 trees retained on site, with 500 replanted during construction. Strict construction protocols include distance limits on freighted materials.
Region 15 has seen material infrastructure improvement — the access road serving the area is now complete, consolidating Candela’s connectivity to the beach zone and town centre without compromising its jungle seclusion. The project sits north of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning one million acres of protected flora and fauna.
The GB&D Magazine feature — covering architectural intent, sustainability practice, and cultural heritage in depth — constitutes third-party editorial validation that no marketing document can replicate. For a project of this character, that credential is the investment case.
A parallel Candela community is also being developed in Valladolid, Yucatán.
For information on available villas and current pricing, contact Jana Miháliková at Heron Real Estate.
Read the full article: GB&D Magazine — Casa Candela
Last updated: April 2026
