Photo: Nic Lehoux

Costa Rica Treehouse

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Costa Rica Treehouse is inspired by the jungle of its densely forested site on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Built entirely of locally sourced and sustainable teak wood, the retreat engages with the jungle at each of its three levels: the ground floor opens to the forest floor, the middle level is nestled within the trees, and the top level rises above the tree canopy with views of the surf at nearby Playa Hermosa beach.

Inspired by the Jungle

The clients, a couple and their two sons, wanted to build a small home close to Playa Hermosa in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, a small remote town located in the Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone. Playa Hermosa is a popular surf beach, which initially attracted the family to this area. While staying on the property, the entire family’s routines center around surfing and the water. This daily routine—back and forth between home and water from waking until nightfall—underscores their connection to the surrounding dense jungle, an incredibly bio-diverse place and home to many animal species.

Living with the Land

The clients are surfers as well as avid environmentalists, and this project reflects their deep commitment to sustainable land management in Costa Rica. Designed as an open‑air surfer hut, the project engages the Costa Rican landscape in various ways, from the vegetation accessible just off the main floor, to the larger weather and surf patterns one can experience on the top level.

Porous to Daylight & Breezes

Costa Rica Treehouse is sited to capture ocean breezes, aided by the wooden shutter system that also provides privacy and shading without disrupting natural ventilation. The building is porous to allow light and breezes to pass through its system of wood screens, with all floors able to be opened completely to the environment. All movable screens are hand‑operated to foster active engagement with the natural context. The experience of this context varies throughout the home and throughout the day as framed and filtered views respond to the shifting play of light and shadow.

Passive Systems

The home’s generous roof overhangs provide shading as well as rain protection—the building filters light much like a tree canopy would, providing both access to and protection from sunlight. A 3.5 kW solar array on the home’s roof harnesses 22 solar panels (covering approximately 40 square meters) to supply all the house’s power needs during daylight hours, as well as the circulation pump for the pool. During the rainy season, all the house’s water needs are supplied by a subterranean rain catchment system, including water for drinking, cooking, bathing and irrigation. The collected water lasts for several months into the dry season before needing to be supplemented.

  1. 3.5 kW solar array produces 6,440 kW hours of electricity
  2. Tropical solar umbrella
  3. Passive cooling/natural ventilation
  4. Operable screens & porous skins
  5. Locally sourced materials
  6. Connection to nature
  7. Rain water catchment system (seven, 5,000‑liter tanks)

Local Materials & Local Craft

Contributing to its carbon positivity, widespread use of local materials showcases the natural resources of the area while eliminating the need for costly, carbon‑heavy shipping to the remote building site. Teak is the primary building and finish material; the house’s siding, screens, ceilings and most of the structure is made from teak. The four central posts are also teak, selected and harvested from a nearby plantation about four years before construction began. The largest beams in the home are cenizaro wood, another local tree with a similar grain that grows larger than teak. The wood will silver with age, further relaxing into the context of the surrounding jungle and blurring the boundary between built and natural environments.

The project has an intentionally small footprint and is quite tall—this allowed us to maintain a light influence on the site while engaging with the natural landscape in different ways on all three levels of the house. Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA
Design Principal

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