 | Containers of Hope
03.2011 - San Jose, Costa Rica
Gabriela Calvo and Marco Peralta dreamed of living in their fantastic property outside of the city of San Jose, where they could be with their horses and enjoy the natural landscape whilst being 20 minutes away from the city. They made the very bold choice of exploring with me the possibility of creating a very inexpensive house out of disregarded shipping containers that allowed them to be dept free and live the life they always wished for. It was important for me to provide them with the sunrise, the sunset, the spectacular views, and overall try and create a feeling of comfort and home. A roof between the two containers, made from the scrap pieces of metal taken to make the windows, not only creates an internal sensation of openness but also provides a cross ventilation which is surprisingly sufficient enough to never have to turn the air conditioning on. |
 | A Forest for a Moon Dazzler
01.2010 - Guanacaste, Costa Rica
This house for my mom Helen is the culmination of a lifelong dream to construct a place where my mom, my brother, and I can be together. My mom first moved away from the city and built her own home out of tree trunks, mosquito nets and tin. She then placed her bed in a corner of this house to watch the moon as she went to bed, and told me that she remembers both my brother and I every night as she watches the moon. The new home then became reinterpretation of her old self made dwelling by providing her with a view to the moon and a very open plan that captures an internal garden whilst giving her security when she sleeps. |  | Smith House
07.2007 - Limon, Costa Rica
This beach house for Tom and Annie Smith is located less than 100 meters from the Caribbean Sea and surrounded by a lush tropical rainforest. They wished to provide a view to the ocean from every space in the house while also integrating the large trees in the forest around them. The house was then placed longitudinally along the beachfront dividing the private (bedrooms) and public spaces (living, dining, and kitchen) with the entrance. A corridor along the back acts as the umbilical cord for all the spaces while providing a very open view to the forest. |  | Lalonde Residence
05.2005 - Guanacaste, Costa Rica
The Lalonde family owned a property close to the Pacific Ocean, but it was surrounded by houses on three sides. They wished to have a home were they could all see the ocean from their bedrooms with an intimate family room in between. The house was then split in two floors, the second dedicated to these private spaces which would in turn lead into a terrace that views the ocean. The entire house was also orientated in an open V shape in order to squeeze a view through the neighboring properties and into the horizon. This geometry allowed for a pool and play area to be safely guarded between the two wings of the V on the first floor, thus creating a captured external garden that integrates completely with the public activities of the large open space of the kitchen, dining and living. |  | Residential Development in Viareggio
06.2009 - Viareggio, Italy
The site had a master plan volume developed by the client and what he wanted now was to develop a facade system that would allow him to change the internal layout of the residences in the massing and still continue to have a sense of unity and identity. A frame was then designed which was divided in thirds and which could in turn be cladded in terracota tiles, glass, or a louvered screen. The primary frame was then attached to the structure and the infill elements would respond to the diverse conditions of the development and real estate oportunities of each residence within the complex. |  | Botanist Studio Apartment
07.2007 - New York, United States
This studio apartment was designed in conjunction with Puertorrican architect Iveannette Santiago. It entailed a scheme design proposal for a roof extension to a historic building in Soho, NYC. Inspired by the roof landscape around the site,which is predominantly dominated by water tanks poised over a steel structure, we designed a very lightweight base structure which is fully glazed and integrates the public spaces of the house to a south facing greenhouse. This metal structure in turn holds above a more opaque volume that comprises the more private areas of the apartment. |  | Bamboo Emergency Relief Shelter
07.2007 - Emergency Relief Areas
This design is composed of a kit of parts which could be assembled on any given site where temporary human shelter was needed. The aim was to create a universal joint made out of a manufactured bamboo composite stud and a bracket which in turn would form a series of columns. These could then be set on site as an array in order to form a variety of configurations and spaces depending on the specific needs of the area. Each column was formed like a cone to collect rain water and store it at its base. |
