Among the trees on a property close to the sea, in the Costa Rican lowlands, where temperatures hover around 32ºC and relative humidity is the usual in tropical climates, we designed this week-end home. Vertical zoning is an interesting alternative that allows the use of height in order to take advantage of the best breeze and coolness. The top level offers a view of the ocean at a distance. The third floor boasts ample space for hammocks and siestas, and is also meant for social activities. Bedrooms are on the second floor, and the ground floor is an open space that lodges the kitchen, dining room and a terrace surrounded by vegetation. You can experience different atmospheres in each of the floors, which renders a special coziness to this small house. You can go from the contact with the landscape and its low shrubs, to the wide open space on the third floor, in contact with the tree canopies and the broad landscape. This is the place to enjoy the soft breeze that constantly changes direction in this area.

The second floor is more intimate and secluded, and thus more enclosed. The roof of this house gives character to the architecture and determines its tropical nature. A four-post structure supports the roof which is made of light materials. When it rains, water falls directly from the roof like a curtain of delicate threads. The shade from the large eaves provides assurance that the solar rays and the bright glare are deterred from the house, creating a shaded atmosphere which has a particular appeal in the tropics.