Set in the remote Costa Rican jungle on a 10-acre finca, this small residential prefab project includes a biophilic home, a social hub, and a house for the caretaker.
In addition to implementing passive and biophilic design strategies, we strongly believe that permaculture and architecture need to evolve in parallel during the design process. Water management, reforestation, erosion control, creation of wildlife corridors – just to name a few - all go hand in hand with siting, orienting and designing a building.
Floating above the sloped terrain, the biophilic home has minimal impact on the land. Rainwater is captured dramatically 6 meters below the cantilevering roof scupper and collected for soil irrigation, along with the grey water. Any excess water overflowing the cisterna during extreme rain events follows the sloped terrain towards the canyon-like river valley through carefully crafted zones of deep-rooting erosion resistant plants.
Located in seismic zone IV with clay soil, custom foundation piles in combination with a light superstructure and substantial cross bracing are calculated for the building to be occupiable even after a major earthquake, beyond code.
The thermally coated floating roof with large overhangs provides ample shade, the carefully designed wood screen composed of angled laminated teak slats provides privacy and shade for the façade. Passive cooling is supported by a large louvered ceiling pop-up, ensuring natural cross ventilation, channeling the breeze from the river valley.
The previous use of the finca for cattle farming had created erosion issues in 2018. As part of our permaculture implementation to date we planted over 900 trees of 116 different species, over 250 pollinator-attracting shrubs, and over 3,000 erosion control plants.
Jungle, ocean, and river sounds enter the cabin unfiltered; the outdoor shower located at the cantilevering deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean further nurtures the full immersion into nature.