Traveling all the way to Costa Rica, to its rich tropics filled with greenery everywhere you'll find a hidden gem in 'Cascada de Luz' house. Huddled up in the green mountainside across from the town of Dominical, this house looks out over the surf lineup to the far horizon, where whales yearly raise their young. Sunlight permeates the roof canopy, illuminating the areas below with a gentle, speckled glow.
Cascada de Luz - A 'Waterfall of Light' Shining Upon This Tropical Stay in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has become a popular travel destination due to its natural surroundings and abundant green spaces everywhere. The aroma of native flowers is carried by a cool breeze that enters this house. When day gives way to night, the waves and sounds of nature outside create a calming rhythm that is perfect for drifting off to sleep to.
Cascada de Luz by Studio Saxe was planned to gradually draw attention to the amazing topographical and ecological surroundings. Views of the ocean through the trees and over the top of the house are available to guests as they arrive and come down the driveway. The roof covering is made up of blue-tinted perforated panels that blend with the horizon of the ocean.
What is so cool about this house is that upon arrival, visitors enter a cool, covered arrival area as they descend beneath a towering overhang. Here, soft light goes through the panels, translucent sheets, and a multitude of teak louvers, creating an ambiance reminiscent of a dense jungle.
A House In Between the Greens
If you're an avid sunset lover and enjoy spending your time outside, near the ocean, and surrounded by nature, this could be your future vacay stay. As for additional details of the house, you must know it's one that is in between the greens of the tropics. There's a framed view of the sunset from the second level, which is accessed by a wooden bridge suspended over a bamboo grove.
Surrounded by jungle on three sides, the social lounge and terrace below open up to a 24-meter infinity lap pool perched atop a sharp incline on the other. This pool encourages movement through the water as well as on foot by connecting indoor and outdoor areas like the garden, jacuzzi, firepit, dining room, living room, breakfast terrace, and barbecue area. In the evenings, the roof activates in reverse, allowing discrete light from within to pass through the perforated surface, creating an effect like moonlight reflecting off waves.
A Sustainable Design for the Win
Integrity in the environment was the foundation of the house's design. The roof serves as a sizable system for filtering and collecting rainwater. Clear downspouts are maintained by the perforated panels' natural ability to filter out leaves and other debris. Designed with purpose, the dynamic roof form directs rainwater into three massive storage tanks beneath the carport, supplying all the water required for the house and landscaping all year long.
As a thermal mass, the water that has been stored helps control the lower level's interior temperature. There's never not a win-win situation when it comes to Cascada de Luz! Additionally, the roof's photovoltaic panels are spaced out to give the house its own renewable energy source while having large overhangs that protect against the hottest times of the day, and non-enclosed circulation and large openings mean less of the home needs conditioning.
Lastly, as part of the house design, elevated windows within the bedrooms provide cross-ventilation, significantly reducing the need for mechanical air conditioning. Materials were selected based on their carbon footprint, with all timber certified as coming from responsibly managed sources.
Saxe’s Landscape department in collaboration with the architecture team aimed to revive the original environment. The architectural design was developed in tandem with the landscape so that both could influence each other. Vegetation was integrated into all spaces, not just around the periphery. So, what do you think of this house as your next travel destination filled with trees, nature, and the ocean as close as you can imagine?
Photos by Alvaro Fonseca
