Playa Santa Teresa in the northern region of Puntarenas is known as a surfer’s mecca and as one of the most coveted real estate markets in Costa Rica. Thanks to… Read more » Continue reading →
Playa Santa Teresa in the northern region of Puntarenas is known as a surfer’s mecca and as one of the most coveted real estate markets in Costa Rica. Thanks to star architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe, this gorgeous beach town is now also known as a place where a mysterious force field serves as the foundation of a home that hovers above the forest canopy.
Casa Flotanta is one of Mr. Garcia’s recent masterpieces of residential architecture. This amazing and stylish construction has caused a stir in architectural and residential construction circles. Some of the publications where Casa Flotanta has been featured include:
–Architecture News Plus
–Tree Hugger
–Architecture Daily
–GizMag
Speaking about his masterful creation, Mr. Garcia explains that the homeowners had found a very attractive plot of land overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but it was essentially a patch of tropical dry forest located on a very steep slope. Mr. Garcia did not see a problem with this:
We saw this as an opportunity rather than a constraint and immediately considered an architectural response that was appropriate for these conditions.
Instead of disturbing the soil, vegetation and wildlife in Playa Santa Teresa, Mr. Garcia and his team decided that the house should levitate:
We essentially lifted the house up into the air on a series of piloti which gives the impression that it is floating above the hillside. By doing this we saved the immense cost of creating soil retention walls around the site. This common sense solution allowed us to create a very delicate intervention, one that allows the terrain to breathe whilst providing spectacular views out towards the ocean from the key location on the site.
As you can see from the photo slide show on the architect’s website, Casa Flotanta actually floats up in the air and it is dazzingly beautiful. The homeowners now have one of the best views in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica Star has previously reported on the work of Mr. Garcia and his vision for elegant homes made from shipping containers no longer used as intended.
Casa Flotanta is just one of the many architectural wonders of Costa Rica, there’s also Finca Bellavista in the southern Pacific region, which is basically a real-life Ewok village from the Star Wars universe.