The Bom Sucesso masterplan was crafted by Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo (WATG), a firm celebrated for shaping some of the world’s most iconic hospitality destinations, including projects for Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Disney.
WATG’s approach has always focused on the seamless fusion of architecture, landscape, and local culture. When they began work on Bom Sucesso in the early 2000s, their vision extended beyond luxury: they imagined a living landscape, where architecture, leisure, and ecology come together to create a single, harmonious experience.
THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE MASTERPLAN
Their role of WATG was to define the overall spatial and landscape framework — positioning the golf course, residential clusters, and public spaces — while inviting leading Portuguese and international architects to bring the vision to life through individual designs.
A new kind of resort village
WATG began with a simple but radical question: How can a resort feel like a genuine place — not a gated enclave? Their answer was to design a sequence of human-scaled spaces that follow the natural terrain rather than impose upon it. Villas, gardens, and pathways weave through the landscape, balancing generous open areas with intimate architectural pockets. Golf, leisure, and daily life coexist within a unified ecological framework.
A collective architecture
Instead of one dominant designer, WATG invited a collective of renowned Portuguese and international architects to interpret the masterplan’s guiding principles — light, proportion, and connection to the land. The result is a curated architectural dialogue: diverse in expression, yet harmonious in rhythm. Bom Sucesso became a living exhibition of contemporary Portuguese architecture, grounded in a strong landscape idea.
Design that listens to nature
Respect for the Óbidos Lagoon was a central design tenet. Views, circulation, and building placement were carefully oriented to protect native habitats and preserve sightlines. The golf course, designed by Donald Steel, was conceived as green infrastructure — shaping the spatial hierarchy of the resort rather than dominating it.
Enduring value through place
For WATG, Bom Sucesso was an experiment in long-term placemaking — a resort meant to evolve gracefully with its environment and community. It demonstrated how thoughtful masterplanning could transform a coastal landscape into both a cultural and ecological asset, celebrating Portugal’s natural character while reimagining modern resort living.
REIMAGINE THE MASTERPLAN TODAY
More than twenty years after its original conception, the Bom Sucesso masterplan still stands as a bold vision. Yet, if it were imagined today, its core principle — living in harmony with the landscape — would take on new dimensions. As design perspectives continue to evolve in a rapidly changing context, what new directions might that vision take?
From sustainability to regeneration
The next generation of Bom Sucesso would no longer settle for sustainability — it would aim to heal. With natural water reserves unable to meet the resort’s needs, regeneration becomes not just an aspiration but a necessity. This renewed vision would rewild degraded land, revive native ecosystems, and transform the golf course into a vibrant mosaic of habitats that breathe life back into the landscape. Wetlands and ecological corridors would define the site’s structure, letting nature lead the design. Water systems would embrace circular principles — capturing, cleansing, and recirculating every drop through rain gardens, greywater reuse, and natural filtration — creating a living hydrological cycle that restores balance and resilience.
Designing for climate resilience
A contemporary Bom Sucesso would be shaped by the realities of a changing climate — designed not just to withstand disruption, but to adapt and regenerate through it. Buildings would work with their environment rather than against it: oriented to harness sunlight and prevailing winds, cooled passively, and built from low-carbon, locally sourced materials. Every design decision would reduce energy demand, lower emissions, and build resilience into the fabric of the place — turning architecture itself into an active response to climate change.
Integrating community and local economy
Bom Sucesso is evolving from a seasonal resort into a year-round community, attracting residents drawn to design, nature, and quality of life. Life here now follows the rhythm of those who live, work, and care for one another throughout the year. Partnerships with local artisans and healthcare providers are embedding Bom Sucesso in the cultural and economic fabric of the Óbidos region. These collaborations give rise to markets, clinics, and community hubs that support daily life and nurture a resilient local economy. Public spaces, once designed for visitors, now foster everyday connection — where Portuguese and international residents meet, exchange, and build a shared sense of belonging. From these connections, a new, collaborative local economy is emerging.
IN ESSENCE
A reimagined Bom Sucesso would honor its DNA of design excellence and landscape sensitivity, while embracing regeneration, community, and climate resilience. It would move beyond a picturesque retreat for leisure to become a thriving ecosystem — for both people and nature. The original vision endures: a place where architecture, ecology, and culture grow together, showing that true legacy is not static, but living and evolving.
Leave a Reply