All 27 Apartments In This Building Surround One Unusual Space

by Erin Miller on
An overhead view of a circular apartment building courtyard in Tulum, Mexico, featuring curved staircases, illuminated perforated walls, a round blue pool, and a wood deck with lounge chairs.

From the outside, ONIRIC is a modern apartment building rising above the tropical forest in Tulum, Mexico. But hidden within its walls is something unexpected. Designed by Arkham Projects, the 27-apartment development has an enormous circular courtyard at its center, with curved staircases, suspended walkways, and a pool at the bottom. The inspiration for this unusual design comes from the cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula, where water, light, and openings in the earth create remarkable natural spaces.

The modern exterior of an apartment building in Tulum, featuring large black-framed windows, stacked balconies, sculptural rooftop architecture, and a stone entrance wall.
Aerial photography of a modern apartment building surrounded by tropical forest in Mexico, showing its unusual circular central courtyard, rooftop terraces, and swimming pools.

A Cenote Inspired The Building’s Circular Design

Cenotes are an important part of the Yucatán’s natural landscape and cultural heritage. Instead of attempting to recreate one, the architects borrowed some of their defining characteristics, the depth of an opening in the ground, water at its base, and the changing relationship between light and shadow. These ideas became the starting point for the building’s unusual layout.

The development consists of six mostly rectangular building sections arranged around a large circular opening. This creates an interesting contrast between the straight lines of the apartments and the curved walls of the courtyard. The circular space also serves a practical purpose, bringing the different parts of the development together around a shared area.

A modern residential building in Tulum with an enormous circular opening at its center, surrounded by rooftop terraces, curved architectural features, and dense tropical forest.
A tall circular courtyard inside a modern apartment building, featuring curved white staircases, black-framed balconies, perforated walls with climbing plants, and a pool below.

Curved Staircases Turn Moving Between Floors Into An Experience

One of the most distinctive features of the courtyard is its series of curved staircases. These sweep across the tall walls, connecting arched doorways at different levels. Their smooth white sides stand out against sections of perforated wall, where circular openings and climbing plants add texture to the architecture.

Sculptural white staircases curve between arched doorways inside a circular apartment courtyard, with perforated concrete walls, climbing greenery, and a wood walkway below.

The staircases and walkways do something beyond connecting different floors. Their curved paths continually change what people can see as they move through the building. A view across the courtyard gradually becomes a view down toward the water, while the surrounding walls reveal different openings and architectural details along the way. This was an important part of the architects’ intention to make moving through the building feel like a gradual experience of discovery.

A close-up of curved outdoor staircases connecting arched entrances along a tall circular wall, with perforated concrete blocks, climbing plants, and a suspended wood walkway.
A wood pedestrian bridge with black metal railings crosses beside a circular blue pool, connecting to the sculptural white staircases of a modern apartment courtyard.

A Circular Pool Sits At The Bottom Of The Open Courtyard

At the base of the courtyard is a circular pool that mirrors the shape of the opening above. Its position emphasizes just how deep the central space is, while the water adds another connection to the cenotes that inspired the design.

A wood deck extends over part of the pool, providing an area for lounge chairs. Walkways and steps lead around the water, while the surrounding walls rise several stories toward the open sky. Looking down from the upper floors reveals how the pool, curved staircases, and circular courtyard work together as one architectural composition.

Looking down into a circular residential courtyard, with a round swimming pool, an elevated wood sun deck, curved white staircases, and apartment balconies arranged around the space.
A round blue swimming pool sits at the bottom of a tall open-air courtyard, surrounded by perforated walls, sweeping white staircases, arched openings, and a wood deck with lounge chairs.
A wood sun deck extends over a circular swimming pool inside a modern apartment courtyard, with woven lounge chairs, glowing spherical lights, arched openings, and a curved stone staircase.

The Courtyard Changes Throughout The Day

The circular opening at the top of the building frames the sky, allowing daylight to enter the courtyard from above. Sections of perforated wall filter the sunlight, creating patterns of light and shadow that move across the surfaces as the sun changes position.

A circular courtyard with a blue swimming pool, elevated wood lounge deck, curved walkways, and tall perforated walls that open toward the sky above.

After sunset, the effect changes. Warm lighting shines through the perforated walls and arched openings, giving the courtyard a very different appearance. The curved staircases remain visible against the illuminated walls, while the pool reflects the surrounding architecture. From above, the entire circular space takes on the appearance of a glowing lantern.

An illuminated apartment courtyard at dusk, featuring curved white staircases, arched doorways, perforated walls glowing with warm light, and a circular blue pool below.
Sculptural outdoor staircases curve around a circular courtyard at dusk, with glowing perforated walls, warm lighting, climbing plants, and a wood walkway beside the pool.
An overhead evening view into a circular apartment courtyard, showing the blue pool, curved staircases, illuminated perforated walls, and surrounding rooftop swimming pools.

Private Apartments Surround The Shared Courtyard

While the courtyard provides a dramatic shared space, the apartments have been arranged to maintain privacy. The architects positioned the homes to reduce direct views between neighboring units, allowing residents to enjoy the central courtyard without having their private spaces exposed to one another.

The development also includes private terraces, gardens, and swimming pools that extend living areas outdoors. These spaces offer a different experience from the enclosed courtyard, with views extending toward the tropical forest that surrounds the building.

A modern apartment building exterior in Mexico, featuring large black-framed windows, stacked balconies, tall sculptural walls, and a stone perimeter wall with tropical landscaping.
A private rooftop swimming pool overlooking the tropical forest in Tulum, Mexico, with a pale stone terrace, lounge chairs, and an open view of the sunset.

What makes ONIRIC interesting is how a single idea influences so many parts of the building. Inspired by a natural formation, the circular courtyard brings together the apartments, staircases, water, and changing daylight, creating an experience that is very different from what the exterior first suggests.

Photography: Manolo Solis | Architecture Firm: Arkham Projects | Architects: Benjamín Peniche Calafell / Jorge Duarte Torre | Developer: Jungle Realtor | Construction: JRL Desarrollos