The No Footprint House (NFH) is designed by the interdisciplinary agency for design and development A-01 (A Company / A Foundation).
The project is located in Ojochal, a small village at the edge of the vast rain forests along the southern 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.
The NFH is organized around a central service core, which includes all machinery, intelligence, bathrooms, kitchen and laundry area. The compression of utilities in one compact unit enables an open floor plan all around the core. Moreover, it contributes to the building efficiency in terms of assembly, maintenance and use. Additional furniture pieces are “plugged” into the double-layered facade, which is created by the vertical structural columns and the inclined outer enclosures.
The slanted skin decreases a direct impact of sunlight and precipitation, it protects the elevated floor from overheating and splashing water. Façade panels can be opened or closed individually in order to regulate views and exposure, augment or reduce air flows, create privacy and security. They convert interior to exterior spaces and play with the dynamic among nature and the built environment, one of the key features of tropical architecture.
For further information, please visit www.a-01.net.
PROJECT No Footprint House (NFH)
OFFICE A-01
LEAD ARCHITECT Oliver Schütte
LOCATION Ojochal, Costa Rica
YEAR 2018
PHOTO Fernando Alda
