No Footprint House – Costa Rica

The No Footprint House (NFH) is located in Ojochal, a small village at the edge of the vast tropical rain forests along the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Placed in a humid tropical climate, the building design responds to its surrounding habitat by passive climate control through natural ventilation and solar shading.
Designed by A-01 the NFH is organised around a central service core, which includes all machinery, intelligence, closets, bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry area. Additional furniture pieces are “plugged” into the double-layered facade, which is created by the vertical structural columns and the inclined outer enclosures. The private rooms can be closed off through different layers of glass sliders and “curtain walls” in order to allow for changing degrees of spatial separation or social integration. The upper section of the building remains permanently open in order to assure unobstructed air flows and cross-ventilation.
The incline facade protects the elevated floor-plan from overheating and rain, the façade panels can be opened or closed individually in order to regulate views and exposure, air flow, create privacy and security. They convert interior to exterior spaces delivering truley tropical architecture.The house was prefabricated in central Costa Rica and transported to the site on one single truck and the selection of all materials was based on a thorough investigation to reduce its environmental footprint.