A Tropical Modern House Hidden in the Costa Rican Jungle | Casa Jungla

#foresthouse #homedesign #architecture
A Tropical Modern House Hidden in the Costa Rican Jungle | Casa Jungla

Architects: FAMM Arquitectura - https://www.fammarq.com/
Lighting: Allied Maker
Location: Santa Teresa Beach, Puntarenas Province, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Project Year: 2023
Category: Housing, Private Houses
Primary Building Material: Concrete
Building Area: 505 m2

Nestled within the lush tropical landscape of Santa Teresa, Casa Jungla is a contemporary home designed to exist in harmony with its natural surroundings. Created by FAMM Arquitectura, the project represents a refined interpretation of tropical modernism, where architecture, landscape, and everyday living blend seamlessly.

Santa Teresa is known for its rich natural environment, pristine beaches, and dense tropical rainforest. The house is located in an area with minimal urban development, surrounded by rugged terrain and dense vegetation. This setting became the starting point for the architectural concept.

Rather than imposing itself on the landscape, the design focuses on creating a continuous dialogue between the built environment and the surrounding jungle. The spatial experience of the house is defined by a sequence of thresholds—moments where the degree of openness and enclosure changes dramatically. Moving through these transitions allows residents to feel alternately protected from the environment or fully immersed in it.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the design is the positioning of the social areas at approximately the same height as the surrounding tree canopies. This creates the sensation of floating among the treetops, offering unique perspectives of the jungle while maintaining a strong connection to nature.

The layout of the house is organized around a perimeter wall clad in locally sourced stone. This wall establishes privacy and security for the interior spaces while keeping the rear façade open toward the forest landscape.

Visitors enter the property through a front garden that leads toward the circulation core of the house. On the main level, the social spaces are arranged in an open-plan configuration where the kitchen, living room, and dining area merge into a single fluid environment.

Large glass doors on both sides of the space allow natural airflow to pass through the interior, creating effective cross ventilation—a key strategy for passive climate control in tropical environments. At the same time, the openings frame views of the surrounding trees and guide the interior space toward an elevated pool and terrace.

The secondary bedrooms are also located on this level. These rooms share a bathroom and are carefully oriented to maintain full visual and physical connections with the outdoor spaces of the house.

Because the terrain slopes significantly, the lower level is partially integrated into the landscape using retaining walls. This level houses an additional living room with its own bathroom and direct access to the garden, as well as service areas including the laundry room and electromechanical equipment space.

A pathway of steps in the garden leads further down the property to an independent studio located at the lowest point of the site, offering a more secluded space within the landscape.

During construction, the project underwent a significant change when a new owner acquired the property. The new client requested the addition of an extra level to the house. To accommodate this modification, reinforced concrete beams were integrated into the social area to support the additional structure, and an external staircase with louvered enclosures was introduced to access the new upper floor.

This added level now contains the primary bedroom suite and bathroom, along with a perimeter balcony that extends around the space. Along the rear façade, a continuous planter runs the full length of the building, further integrating vegetation into the architecture.

Large openings on both sides of this level allow natural light, cross ventilation, and uninterrupted views of the surrounding jungle landscape.

Casa Jungla ultimately demonstrates how contemporary architecture can adapt to the tropical environment while creating a comfortable, private, and immersive living experience—where nature becomes an essential part of everyday life.

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