This was a dream commission,” says UK-based architect Gianni Botsford. “Design a retreat for a writer on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Make it contemporary, with clean lines and a modern aesthetic, and yet be sensitive to local tradition and material use.”
Casa Magayon by Sarco Architects Costa Rica is located in the Peninsula Papagayo Luxury Resort in the northwest pacific region of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The project was awarded the “Highly Commended, Architecture Single Residence Costa Rica 2013-2014” award by the International Property Awards. The home is designed to follow the natural shape of the land, which featured a linear and narrow ridge in east-west direction that turns into a sharply sloping hillside.
The Bartlett Residence was designed as a luxury vacation home in the middle of a dry tropical forest area. The property has a long and narrow building envelope area (limited by the development), that works parallel to the slope of the land, which is a fairly constant natural slope of around 30 to 35 degrees, forming into a natural ravine in the middle of the buildable space.
This was a very particular project due to the clients it was being built for. The property had been purchased by two brothers and their wives, and the idea was to create a Luxury Vacation Home for both couples.
Casa Gaviota (Seagull House) is a project developed through a thorough site analysis and conscious awareness of the environment. Located in a mountain surrounded by topographic depressions, a mellow river and very close to the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, it stands lightly and volant on the terrain holding more than 80% of its areas in the air. It touches the ground only as needed, reducing the humidity and soil sealing and maximizing the natural ventilation through the project. The precise east – west orientation allows Casa Gaviota to fully open its north facade providing all the indirect lightning for the house and creating different environments that dramatically change throughout the day. A nearby river that refreshes and nourishes the flora and fauna of the place can be appreciated visually and aurally from the deck. The house stands at the height of the canopy of the trees. The opening between the two modules allows the user to continue its path through the mountain, the same path that existed before the house was built. The house does not interfere between nature and oneself.
The Holdener family bought a beautiful property with two breath-taking views: towards the ocean and into the jungle. We decided to rest the house against the back of the steep hill of the site in order to stabilize the soil and protect the house from falling debris. The house then transitions from a more solid and intimate construction at the back that holds bedrooms and bathrooms, towards a light-weight and ephemeral structure that points to the visual collapse of the ocean and jungle views. The result is a series of interwoven terraces that relate to each other in all dimensions creating not only an internal dynamic interaction between levels, but also varied and sometimes unexpected relationships between the inhabitants and the natural landscape. In these interstitial terrace spaces, which are never truly inside or out, architecture comes to foster the relationship, enjoyment, and appreciation of the natural world by the inhabitants.
This residence, located in the Peninsula Papagayo luxury resort in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, was penned by its owner to have an “Earthy Contemporary” architectural style. The home was designed in a lot overlooking the sixteenth hole of the Four Seasons Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course. The design was thought to maximize the view to the golf course fairway down below, and to also take advantage of multiple existing trees around the home and give the home an exotic tree house feeling. We used a combination of large glazed surfaces for transparency, exposed steel structure, with wood and natural stone accents, to achieve a modern design with a natural feeling.
This house establishes an uninterrupted ¨inside-outside¨ relationship; a sequence of layers between the open and the intermediary. Frontal boundaries are blurred by sheets of glass and vegetation, framed by two horizontal planes, floor and ceiling, where the full and the void are related via a series of matter, water, vegetation and sky. Lateral boundaries establish the ¨full-void¨ relationship via a series of solid materials that close transversal views.
M30 House is located in Cartago, Costa Rica, it was conceived in 2012 as a low cost housing solution for a young couple in order to have a profitable and accessible house with a great design.
During our walks through the site we encountered several archeological pre-Columbian pieces made out of lava, rock and clay. We realized that the local humble flora and fauna of the region inspired our ancestors. They were not about jaguars and eagles, for the contrary, they were inspired by the little cocoons, thorns and seeds. From there, we explored similar sources of inspiration to create the arts and crafts. With that in mind, we created the architectural concept for the project.
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