Costana Costana Frontier Resort has just won the LIV Hospitality Design Awards 2025, one of the world's most respected awards in the hospitality sector, based in Switzerland. Winner in the Architectural Design Resort – Midscale & Lifestyle, the resort in Novo Machado (RS), on the Brazil-Argentina border, about 7 km from Porto Mauá, surpassed a rigorous selection of projects from all continents, being recognized by the Farmani Group jury as a benchmark in innovation and guest experience, raising the standard of border tourism in Brazil.
This victory transforms what was a promise of excellence into an internationally awarded real estate and tourism landmark even before its inauguration. The jury assessed that the project solves complex engineering challenges, presents innovation in the use of materials, sustainability and, above all, that the design was conceived to enhance guest comfort.
Winning the Architectural Design Resort – Midscale & Lifestyle places Costana among a select group of developments that define new trends in global tourism. This category includes resorts focused on comfort, positioned between luxury and economy scale, and lifestyle elements ,prioritizing integration with nature, refined design, and environments that promote well-being and cultural immersion.
In this edition of the LIV Awards, Costana shares the prestige of victory with five other iconic destinations around the globe: the Theros All Suite Hotel (Greece), the Hermit Resort (China), the Noise of Silence and Gorny Vozdukh complexes (Russia), and the renowned Club Med Punta Cana (Dominican Republic). Being on this list reaffirms that the project from Rio Grande do Sul possesses the same aesthetic rigor and innovation as developments located in the major tourist hubs of Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.
The resort's architecture, designed by UNYT Arquitetura e Urbanismo (which consolidated its prestige in this edition of the LIV Awards by winning in two distinct categories), is a tribute to the cultural heritage of the Brazil-Argentina border, highlighting the immense natural heritage represented by the Uruguay River. “In the project, we sought to build an experience where architecture, landscape, and hospitality function in an integrated way, creating a place that dialogues with the territory and the surrounding nature,” says Paulo Gonçalves, Partner and Project Director at UNYT.
According to him, the award reinforces Costana as a unique destination within the contemporary hospitality landscape. “The recognition is especially significant because it is an international award, dedicated exclusively to hospitality architecture and design, bringing together projects from different parts of the world,” adds Paulo.
With this seal, Costana consolidates the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul on the map of world excellence in architecture, guaranteeing a new level of visibility for tourism in the region. “We always knew the extraordinary potential of this land, but having this international recognition is historic, showing that the whole world is watching our history and our culture,” affirms Mogar Sincak, founding partner of Costana.
Tradition and Architectural Innovation:
The architecture recognized by the LIV Awards is a contemporary reinterpretation of local identity. The Costana project deviates from the obvious and delves into the essence of a land of beauty still unexplored by high-end tourism.
The spatial organization follows the logic of a transatlantic ship, respecting the natural relief of the terrain: the upper deck houses the reception and the panoramic restaurant. The intermediate level is dedicated to indoor leisure, and the lower level opens onto cascading pools, inspired by the visual force of the Yucumã Falls. Following the same logic, the bungalows are inserted into the topography in a staggered fashion, guaranteeing privacy and a privileged view of the Uruguay River and the Brazil-Argentina border.
Another element that contributed to the award was the sensory and climatic design, which takes into account the temperature variations of the region (which oscillate between the harshness of the Gaucho winter and the intense heat of summer) and the prevailing winds to protect and offer maximum comfort to guests and owners during all seasons. In this way, the space evokes the ritual of drinking chimarrão (a traditional South American infused drink) in shaded and semi-open areas, further enhancing this element of local culture.
About Costana Frontier Resort
Currently under construction in Novo Machado, on the Brazil-Argentina border and about 7 km from Porto Mauá, the Costana Frontier Resort projects an unprecedented infrastructure for northwestern Rio Grande do Sul. It will have 275 accommodation units, with capacity to receive more than 1,000 guests, and a complete leisure area that includes more than 50 attractions such as an artificial beach, spa, bowling alley, and cinema. Construction began in July 2025 and will continue uninterrupted until the inauguration, planned for 2029.
Recently, the project has achieved significant milestones, such as obtaining the Research Authorization for thermal waters from the National Mining Agency (ANM). This document gives the green light to investigate the potential for thermal waters in the project's soil, which could further expand the range of attractions for the public. Another milestone was the launch of the sales office in Posadas, Argentina, inaugurated in February of this year. This is not the first time Costana has broken boundaries. In early 2025, the resort was selected to be included in the guide "Tourism Doing Business – Investing in Brazil," an initiative of UN Tourism in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism. Launched in Madrid, Spain, the guide presents Costana to foreign investors as one of the strategic business opportunities in Brazil. By combining the UN investment recommendation with winning the design award in Switzerland, Costana Frontier Resort reinforces its reputation, proving to be a safe, innovative, and globally relevant asset.
Opportunities to become a Costana owner are now available to both national and international clients. To purchase a unit at the resort, interested parties can contact them directly through the official website (costanaresort.com.br) or via the resort's social media channels.
General link to the winners of the Liv Awards 2025: https://livawards.com/winner/liv/2025/
Link to Costana among the winners: https://livawards.com/winner/liv/2025/1732/0/
