Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Casa Torcida
Casa Torcida
Costa Rica
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Casa Torcida
Costa Rica
Firm
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2009
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
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. It 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.
LAYOUTThe 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.POWER & WATERCasa 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.
MATERIALSStructural 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.
FURNITURE & FINISHINGSChoosing 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 gloryCasa 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 had been
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. 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.
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. It 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.
LAYOUTThe 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.POWER & WATERCasa 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.
MATERIALSStructural 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.
FURNITURE & FINISHINGSChoosing 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 gloryCasa 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 had been
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. 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.
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.