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AIANY Annual Design Awards Program - Casa Torcida
AIANY Annual Design Awards Program - Casa Torcida
Costa Rica
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AIANY Annual Design Awards Program - Casa Torcida
Costa Rica
Previous Competition Submissions The Casa Torcida design was submitted to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York’s annual Design Awards Program. The competition recognizes excellent architectural design located anywhere in the world by New York City based architects, as well as the work of registered architects from anywhere in the world that has been built in New York City.
The awards program judged the skill and creativity of the architect with an eye to how the structure addressed functional and technical requirements. The awards program examined the architect’s sensitivity in preservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of successful historical development patterns. The competition also judged the design’s achievements in energy reduction. It evaluated the deployment of new approaches toward ecological planning, collection and distribution of renewable resources and energies, as well as the building’s contributions to the quality of life and the surrounding environment.
The Casa Torcida design was also submitted to the Environmental Design & Construction Excellence In Design Awards. This competition recognizes innovative sustainable designs by commercial and residential architects, interior designers, contractors as well as building owners.
The competition evaluated the use of sustainable or recycled materials implemented throughout the building. It also recognized innovative interior and exterior green design, excellence in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water conservation, site selection and other green design factors, such as budget, company mission or design intent.
The Casa Torcida Design The designers transformed an abandoned steel frame and concrete slab structure into a five-level, 18000 SF, indoor- outdoor residence and future music studio on a rain-forested mountainside overlooking the Golfo Dulce. The primary criteria for this project were to be environmentally sensitive, technologically advanced, and modernist by design. A spectacular view out to the bay merges with the infinity pool. A flexible building perimeter provides a seamless flow from inside to out that completely blends the built environment with the natural setting.
The forest wraps the house as the house wraps a piece of the landscape. Entering through a monumental opening described by the underside of the pool, one encounters two palm trees growing up through the center of the structure. At the edge of the tree well, a central pedestrian circulation spine, composed of the open stairway and an outdoor hall, occurs at every level. The top of the stairs at the 2nd level provides the first glimpse of the sea across an infinity edge pool. A variety of terrace spaces provide the house at this level with extensive exterior lounging & eating areas. The adjacent interior living-dining area has a perimeter of glass on three sides. Bedrooms are all fenestrated with screened wood louver panels, which in places open fully and in others exist simply as walls. As one ascends through the house, the spaces become more private and views become increasingly dramatic.Casa Torcida is designed to be entirely self-sufficient. Its energy needs are provided by photovoltaic cells on the roof. This panel array, along with a solar panel system for domestic hot water, occupies 1470 SF of the top level, sharing the roof slab with a raised yoga deck and viewing platform. In the rainy season an on-site hydroelectric plant supplements the photovoltaic system, with minimal impact on the mountainside stream. A 75,000-gallon rainwater collection system provides all the potable and non-potable water needs. The state-of-the-art epoxy ceramic based roof coating assures that this water is pure and without construction related chemicals. As important, this silvery roof finish reflects the tropical sun, minimizing significant potential heat gain. Appliances and lighting were chosen for low power consumption. Solar hot water panels provide domestic hot water. Maximizing cross ventilation and providing efficient solar shading has eliminated the need for air conditioning in this year-round tropical climate. Modern technological features, architectural planning and sensitive detailing create an indigenous yet distinctly modern piece of architecture.
Structural steel and concrete provide the field upon which we composed pale natural quartzite, man-made quartz, several species of local wood, and refined stainless steel elements. We were intentionally mindful of working with a cool, light palette to counterbalance the year-round heat and humidity of this environment while also including the warmth and tactility of wood, which was certified, re-claimed and/or collected from the property during an earlier clearing. Perforated stainless steel screens and operable louver partitions provide a layering of space to add an additional dimension of privacy, transparency, shade, and shadow. The existing concrete slabs, where left exposed, were resurfaced -- textured with aggregate on the ground level and finely polished above.
Choosing from furniture suitable for indoor or outdoor use, through the use of color-fast and waterproof fabrics and construction, we juxtaposed bright, tropical colors against the neutral palette of the building materials. These colors reflect the abundant and brightly colored flora and fauna of the property and punctuate the spaces of the house while defining the primary social areas. We intentional kept the spaces spare and uncluttered, and we choose furniture that was substantially lifted off the floor so as not to provide hiding or nesting places for snakes and insects.
Why the Casa Torcida design deserves a second shot at glory? Casa Torcida is a unique project that defies categorization in the ethos of awards programs. This modern house came to fruition under unusual circumstances. Casa Torcida is essentially a renovation, albeit of a derelict and incomplete steel structure that had been abandoned as an unsalvageable beginning of a new house in the ocean-side rainforest of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. SPG Architects reviewed the abandoned steel structure, which was erected without consideration for seismic activity. In addition, the steel structure required reconfiguration of the pool opening, landscape opening and perimeter. However, nearly 80% of the structure was salvaged and remained in place to create the massing as it appears today. The few rubble walls that were in place when SPG Architects first visited the site were removed to permit a reconceived layout. The house unfolds experientially and as such, is not the typical, purely diagrammatic new house that often wins competitions. In addition, Casa Torcida possesses a large usable area relative to most private residences and as such, challenges the notion of an environmentally responsible home. Much of the house is indoor-outdoor and only one room is mechanically air-conditioned, in order to protect audio/recording equipment. While the house is 'green' in many respects, the pure square footage of usable area renders Casa Torcida different from most responsibly designed residences with their smaller footprints.
Nevertheless, in addition to salvaging an existing structure, the house employs an array of environmentally responsible strategies. The home is fitted with locally fabricated and/or sourced materials and uses natural ventilation, with adjustable perimeter window and louver systems for climactic adjustment. Light-colored exterior surfaces are also essential in the effort to mitigate solar heat gain in the tropical locale. The home relies largely upon natural light, used in conjunction with appropriately located structural overhangs, which limit the impact of sunlight on the interiors. Casa Torcida also uses low-energy consumption light fixtures, appliances and equipment, as well as low-consumption water fixtures, which are supplied by a 74,000 gallon rain-water collection cistern. The upper-most roof is made of a highly reflective and microbe-free surface for rainwater collection. All the house’s energy needs are provided by the largest residential solar array hot water heating system in Costa Rica, which helps to make the house both energy and water self-sufficient.
Lastly, the home is ‘green’ in its social context. Casa Torcida’s energy self-sufficiency made it unnecessary to bring power from the nearest city, which would have led to the suburbanization of this remote peninsula.Despite the constraints of the pre-existing conditions, Casa Torcida has been widely recognized in multiple publications as a worthy, livable, responsibly designed and visually dynamic house.
The awards program judged the skill and creativity of the architect with an eye to how the structure addressed functional and technical requirements. The awards program examined the architect’s sensitivity in preservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of successful historical development patterns. The competition also judged the design’s achievements in energy reduction. It evaluated the deployment of new approaches toward ecological planning, collection and distribution of renewable resources and energies, as well as the building’s contributions to the quality of life and the surrounding environment.
The Casa Torcida design was also submitted to the Environmental Design & Construction Excellence In Design Awards. This competition recognizes innovative sustainable designs by commercial and residential architects, interior designers, contractors as well as building owners.
The competition evaluated the use of sustainable or recycled materials implemented throughout the building. It also recognized innovative interior and exterior green design, excellence in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water conservation, site selection and other green design factors, such as budget, company mission or design intent.
The Casa Torcida Design The designers transformed an abandoned steel frame and concrete slab structure into a five-level, 18000 SF, indoor- outdoor residence and future music studio on a rain-forested mountainside overlooking the Golfo Dulce. The primary criteria for this project were to be environmentally sensitive, technologically advanced, and modernist by design. A spectacular view out to the bay merges with the infinity pool. A flexible building perimeter provides a seamless flow from inside to out that completely blends the built environment with the natural setting.
The forest wraps the house as the house wraps a piece of the landscape. Entering through a monumental opening described by the underside of the pool, one encounters two palm trees growing up through the center of the structure. At the edge of the tree well, a central pedestrian circulation spine, composed of the open stairway and an outdoor hall, occurs at every level. The top of the stairs at the 2nd level provides the first glimpse of the sea across an infinity edge pool. A variety of terrace spaces provide the house at this level with extensive exterior lounging & eating areas. The adjacent interior living-dining area has a perimeter of glass on three sides. Bedrooms are all fenestrated with screened wood louver panels, which in places open fully and in others exist simply as walls. As one ascends through the house, the spaces become more private and views become increasingly dramatic.Casa Torcida is designed to be entirely self-sufficient. Its energy needs are provided by photovoltaic cells on the roof. This panel array, along with a solar panel system for domestic hot water, occupies 1470 SF of the top level, sharing the roof slab with a raised yoga deck and viewing platform. In the rainy season an on-site hydroelectric plant supplements the photovoltaic system, with minimal impact on the mountainside stream. A 75,000-gallon rainwater collection system provides all the potable and non-potable water needs. The state-of-the-art epoxy ceramic based roof coating assures that this water is pure and without construction related chemicals. As important, this silvery roof finish reflects the tropical sun, minimizing significant potential heat gain. Appliances and lighting were chosen for low power consumption. Solar hot water panels provide domestic hot water. Maximizing cross ventilation and providing efficient solar shading has eliminated the need for air conditioning in this year-round tropical climate. Modern technological features, architectural planning and sensitive detailing create an indigenous yet distinctly modern piece of architecture.
Structural steel and concrete provide the field upon which we composed pale natural quartzite, man-made quartz, several species of local wood, and refined stainless steel elements. We were intentionally mindful of working with a cool, light palette to counterbalance the year-round heat and humidity of this environment while also including the warmth and tactility of wood, which was certified, re-claimed and/or collected from the property during an earlier clearing. Perforated stainless steel screens and operable louver partitions provide a layering of space to add an additional dimension of privacy, transparency, shade, and shadow. The existing concrete slabs, where left exposed, were resurfaced -- textured with aggregate on the ground level and finely polished above.
Choosing from furniture suitable for indoor or outdoor use, through the use of color-fast and waterproof fabrics and construction, we juxtaposed bright, tropical colors against the neutral palette of the building materials. These colors reflect the abundant and brightly colored flora and fauna of the property and punctuate the spaces of the house while defining the primary social areas. We intentional kept the spaces spare and uncluttered, and we choose furniture that was substantially lifted off the floor so as not to provide hiding or nesting places for snakes and insects.
Why the Casa Torcida design deserves a second shot at glory? Casa Torcida is a unique project that defies categorization in the ethos of awards programs. This modern house came to fruition under unusual circumstances. Casa Torcida is essentially a renovation, albeit of a derelict and incomplete steel structure that had been abandoned as an unsalvageable beginning of a new house in the ocean-side rainforest of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. SPG Architects reviewed the abandoned steel structure, which was erected without consideration for seismic activity. In addition, the steel structure required reconfiguration of the pool opening, landscape opening and perimeter. However, nearly 80% of the structure was salvaged and remained in place to create the massing as it appears today. The few rubble walls that were in place when SPG Architects first visited the site were removed to permit a reconceived layout. The house unfolds experientially and as such, is not the typical, purely diagrammatic new house that often wins competitions. In addition, Casa Torcida possesses a large usable area relative to most private residences and as such, challenges the notion of an environmentally responsible home. Much of the house is indoor-outdoor and only one room is mechanically air-conditioned, in order to protect audio/recording equipment. While the house is 'green' in many respects, the pure square footage of usable area renders Casa Torcida different from most responsibly designed residences with their smaller footprints.
Nevertheless, in addition to salvaging an existing structure, the house employs an array of environmentally responsible strategies. The home is fitted with locally fabricated and/or sourced materials and uses natural ventilation, with adjustable perimeter window and louver systems for climactic adjustment. Light-colored exterior surfaces are also essential in the effort to mitigate solar heat gain in the tropical locale. The home relies largely upon natural light, used in conjunction with appropriately located structural overhangs, which limit the impact of sunlight on the interiors. Casa Torcida also uses low-energy consumption light fixtures, appliances and equipment, as well as low-consumption water fixtures, which are supplied by a 74,000 gallon rain-water collection cistern. The upper-most roof is made of a highly reflective and microbe-free surface for rainwater collection. All the house’s energy needs are provided by the largest residential solar array hot water heating system in Costa Rica, which helps to make the house both energy and water self-sufficient.
Lastly, the home is ‘green’ in its social context. Casa Torcida’s energy self-sufficiency made it unnecessary to bring power from the nearest city, which would have led to the suburbanization of this remote peninsula.Despite the constraints of the pre-existing conditions, Casa Torcida has been widely recognized in multiple publications as a worthy, livable, responsibly designed and visually dynamic house.
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