rammed earth villas by formafatal emerge over costa rican coast

costa rica meets czech architecture

Czech architecture studio Formafatal takes to the jungle shoreline of Costa Rica with a pair of ‘Achioté’ villas. Emerging from the trees over Playa Hermosa, the lightweight structures each take shape with a construction of rammed earth, using clay soil that had been excavated from the site. The remote holiday homes, each with a compact footprint of just ninety square meters, project out from the sloping landscape and appear to levitate among the trees.

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the design strategy by formafatal

‘My intention was to design sustainable houses with biophilic interiors, which will be sophisticatedly thought-up and at the same time their shaping will be strongly minimalist and simple,’ comments lead architect Dagmar Štěpánová at Formafatal, describing the Achioté Villas.

‘No unnecessary extra element, but also nothing to miss. The architecture of villas is deliberate with its thin and sharp lines in contrast to lush tropical vegetation, but the chosen materials and colors are perfectly coinciding with the surroundings.’

achioté villas: unique but united

While the design of both Achioté Villas is the same in terms of materiality, floor plan, and orientation, Formafatal curates unique interiors — especially in their color concept — which is expressed along the exterior. The architectural design reflects the unique qualities of the area, taking into account its its views toward the Pacific Ocean and the shape of the land. The team notes: ‘The color concept of interiors responds to the energies that were perceived in the location of the villas before their construction.‘

‘Although the villas are only twelve meters apart, each of them has clearly different vibrations that I reflected in the interior design. Jaspis Villa (jaspis = jasper, bright villa) is a reflection of yin energy. It is connected to the ocean and sky, not only visually, but also with its vibrations. With a color concept in sand shades, I respond to this interconnection,‘ continues the architect.

‘Nefrit Villa (nefrit = jade, dark villa) is a reflection of yang energy. In the Nefrit villa, you can feel the connection between the ground and the jungle. Here, too, the chosen color concept is a reaction to these energies and the red-terracotta color of the concrete floor transmits the shade of local soil to the interior of the house. Upon arrival, both villas seem very inconspicuous, and humble.