Architects:Estudio D3B

Area:250m²

Year:2022

Photographs:Depth Lens - Alvaro Fonseca

Lead Architect:Demian Bournissen

Category:Houses

Technical Team:Ismael Arroyo, Shiary Martinez

General Construction:GFM - Gianfranco Michelini

City:Santa Teresa

Country:Costa Rica

Text description provided by the architects. Casa Bersatu is envisioned as a meeting place for a family that lives in different parts of the world and finds in this house a space to gather. The design aims to articulate family memory, climate, and landscape to provide a home experience in nature.

The owning family granted freedom in the design process, wishing for the house to function as a temporary rental, but above all as a family gathering space, a shared home. The proposal specifically responds to the land and climate context of Costa Rica, while also incorporating references linked to the family's roots, marked by life experiences in Southeast Asia and other tropical environments. Casa Bersatu draws on principles and atmospheres of traditional tropical architecture and translates them into a rational organization suitable for the site.

Situated on a site of great natural beauty, with views toward the jungle and the Pacific Ocean of Costa Rica, the house sits on a lot with marked slopes, immersed in vegetation but close to the street. Given this condition, the main challenge was to find a precise position that would allow for the best views without losing privacy toward the street. The house closes off at the front with a more contained geometry while opening widely toward the landscape.

The project also preserves and incorporates the pre-existing vegetation as an essential part of the spatial experience. Two mango trees were integrated into the architectural layout and became part of the master bedroom. In its bathroom, a wall extends and curves to contain an intimate garden, where these trees pass through the roof eave and frame the sea view from the bathtub.

The service volume is located at the highest point of the land, extending over columns where the slope descends, avoiding significant soil movement and preserving the existing vegetation. The house was designed to be inhabited in the tropical climate through passive strategies.

The ventilated double roof allows heat to dissipate, while cross-ventilation constantly renews the interior air. The opening toward the sea favors the entry of sea breezes, maintaining a pleasant temperature throughout the year and reducing the need for artificial conditioning. A large eave protects the main terrace, open to the jungle and the sea, while folding wooden shutters regulate privacy, airflow, and solar incidence. Thanks to its orientation toward the sunset, the house receives warm light every evening filtered through the shutters, bathing the interior and reinforcing its serene atmosphere.

Today, Casa Bersatu functions as both a home and temporary lodging, and it also serves as a setting for yoga and meditation retreats. Its spaciousness, warmth, and connection to nature make it a space for contemplation and gathering.

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