Studio Saxe designs a lightweight house in Costa Rica

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Taking a lightweight approach to architecture, Studio Saxe has designed a house in Nosara, Costa Rica as a subtle frame for living inside the jungle. Combining technology with local techniques, the design finds a sustainable way to let humans and nature co-exist.
The architects describe the tropical tree house as a ‘transparent object’. Its geometry was deciphered by the topography of its home – elements were pushed and pulled in deference to nearby trees and vegetation. Slightly sunken into the ground, it follows the edge of land that slopes towards a creek overlooking the jungle.
The boundaries between the interior and exterior are almost invisible. On entry to the house, the vertical triple-height atrium opens up a full view of the surrounding nature – from forest floor to the sky-high tree canopy and beyond, and the glazed walls bring the jungle right up to the house.
The ground floor living room is an immersive space that celebrates the beauty and immensity of the jungle: ‘When working in a site with abundant vegetation and on a slope, one is tempted to put all living spaces hovering over the landscape, however we made the very conscious decision of grounding people to the forest floor in the main living area,’ say the architects.
At the top of the house, nestled below the large roof, the bedrooms float in the tree canopy with views over the landscape. The wide roof creates a feeling of protection and shade for these more intimate zones of the house.
Light is controlled elsewhere through teak louvered walls that filter light into the spaces, with a similarly dappled effect as leaves on trees. Air flows through the louvers to ventilate the house naturally, and solar power is used for energy completing the sustainable energy focused project.
A low impact construction process combined technology with local knowledge – large prefabricated steel beams were assembled on site for a quick installation, while reforested teak was sourced for the louvered panelling and doors using traditional techniques.
Studio Saxe, set up by Benjamin Garcia Saxe in 2004 in Costa Rica, often blends technological innovation with handcrafted techniques across their work – as seen in the larger scale Joya Villas – as part of their exploration into the relationship between life, architecture and nature.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Studio Saxe website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Ferragamo’s new Renaissance
The Ferragamo F/W 2023 campaign touches base with the Italian Renaissance, celebrating innovation, timeless beauty, and a new handbag
By Simon Mills Published
-
Turner Prize 2023 exhibition unwrapped
The Turner Prize 2023 exhibition has opened inside the colourful Towner Eastbourne; delve into the work of the four nominees
By Malaika Byng Published
-
Look inside Sixth&Blanco, Herzog & de Meuron’s first project in Texas
Step inside Sixth&Blanco by Herzog & de Meuron, as the Swiss studio reveals interior images of its first ever Texas design, a forward-thinking, sustainable and mixed-use scheme
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Extraordinary escapes: where would you like to be?
Peruse and lose yourself in these extraordinary escapes; there's nothing better to get the creative juices flowing than a healthy dose of daydreaming
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Year in review: top 10 houses of 2022, selected by Wallpaper* architecture editor Ellie Stathaki
Wallpaper’s Ellie Stathaki reveals her top 10 houses of 2022 – from modernist reinventions to urban extensions and idyllic retreats
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Roz Barr’s terrace house extension is a minimalist reimagining
Terrace house extension by Roz Barr Architects transforms Victorian London home through pared-down elegance
By Nick Compton Published
-
Tree View House blends warm modernism and nature
North London's Tree View House by Neil Dusheiko Architects draws on Delhi and California living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Maison de Verre: a dramatic glass house in France by Studio Odile Decq
Maison de Verre in Carantec is a glass box with a difference, housing a calming interior with a science fiction edge
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Modernist Coromandel farmhouse refreshed by Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart and Thomashoff+Partner
An iconic Coromandel farmhouse is being reimagined by the South African architectural collaborative of Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart and Thomashoff+Partner
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
East London house extension infuses Victorian home with warm modernism
Blurton Road by London architecture studio Emil Eve is a residential extension project that transforms a modest Clapton house
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Pergola Extension transforms Victorian Melbourne home
Pergola Extension by Krisna Cheung Architects offers a contemporary touch to a Victorian Melbourne property, infusing it with sustainability and generosity of space
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated