Costa Rica-based architecture firm Studio Saxe has completed a pair of villas in the rainforest of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, reflecting themselves as bursting structural elements within this natural environment, while providing fabulous view towards the untouched nature of the town of Santa Teresa.

BriBri villa

Named Joya Villas (separately named BriBri and Maleku), two modern homes are situated on a hilltop, with its main terrace directly overlooking one of the best surfing breaks in the region. 

The exoskeletons of the villas are the key part of the construction and of their overall look, as the studio is commonly known for its blending technological innovation with handcrafted techniques to form truly sustainable designs.

BriBri villa

Designed directly to adapt to its natural surrounding with fragmented volumes, all part of the villas seemingly disappear within lush vegetation. The villas are defined by a series of steel frames, bringing the best modern methods of construction to a tropical location. 

BriBri villa

"The use of large steel I-beams and concrete is a tenet of the international language of Modernist architecture and Studio Saxe have taken this design approach and recontextualised it for contemporary use," said Studio Saxe.

"This project is a continuation of their search for an authentic Central American tropical architecture."

BriBri villa

The use of raw materials of steel and concrete are balanced with the careful use of crafted wooden screens and floors, to ensure the design of these rental properties is rooted in local traditions and building techniques. 

BriBri villa

The black metal frames create cantilevered openings that hover over thesocial spaces below, creating a blurred distinction between inside andoutside areas and between private and more communal atmospheres.

Large openings on every level of the building make the building seem lightweight and they connect the inhabitants to the surrounding natural environment. A delicate timber staircase appears to float from one floor to the other, suspended by the finest steel cables. 

BriBri villa

The town of Santa Teresa on the pacific coastof Costa Rica has become a multicultural hub, renowned for its large waves and untouched nature. 

People can rent the homes (available rates starting from $990 per night) and can enjoy the views of the best swells from the comfort of their infinity pool or simply walk down to the beach to enjoy.

Maleku villa

"Joya Villas is a clear reflection of a new wave of contextual contemporary tropical architecture that is born from and adapts to its precise location, land contours, and climate," said said Benjamin Garcia Saxe, Founder and Executive Director of Studio Saxe.

"These ingredients are then brought to life through the careful balance of modern building techniques and touches of handcrafted natural materials."

"Everything we do at Studio Saxe is focused on trying to enhance the experience of the natural in the inhabitant of spaces and perhaps even create moments of relaxation and reflection. This train of thought and the architecture that is emerging could begin to be considered as the birth of an authentic Central American Tropical Architecture," he added.

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villa

Maleku villas - roof plan

First floor plan

Second floor plan

Section - 1

Section - 2

Section - 3

Facade - 1

Facade - 2

Initial design diagram

Studio Saxe was founded in 2004 by Benjamin Garcia Saxe in San Jose, Costa Rica. The studio produces a number of residential and cultural projects in Costa Rica and abroad.

Studio Saxe’s boutique hotel and yoga studio is one of the studio's projects built in Costa Rica's tropical region. The studio has offices in Costa Rica and London.

Project facts

Project name: Joya Villas

Location: Santa Teresa Costa Rica 

Date of completion: 2018 

Client: Joya Villas

Area: 961m2

Architecture Team: Studio Saxe

Design Director: Benjamin García Saxe

Project Architect: Cesar Coto y Rogelio Quesada 

Project Coordinator: Laura Morelli

Structural Engineer: Sotela Alfaro Ltda. 

Electromechanical Engineer: Dynamo 

Studio Builder: Dante MedriLandscape: Vida Landscape

All images © Andrés García Lachner

> via Studio Saxe