No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer by Oliver Schutte

No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer by Oliver Schutte is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award yn Platina in Duorsume Produkten, Projekten en Grien Ûntwerp Competition Category.

PlatinaDuorsum Produkt· 2025

No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer

by Oliver Schutte

Client: A-01

A' Design Award yn Platina Winner in Duorsum Produkt Category

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The Design

About No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer

It No Footprint Wood House leit lâns de súdlike Stille Oseaankust fan Costa Rica. It bioklimaatysk ûntwerp yntegrearret mei de omjouwende weelderige tropyske bosken en natuerlike habitat. It projekt makket diel út fan de mearfâldich priisfûne No Footprint House-searje. Klimaatreagearjende boufarianten binne basearre op passive ûntwerpstrategyen. Yndustriële boutekniken en prefabrikearre komponinten wurde kombinearre mei lokaal wûn en regeneratyf boumateriaalen. It projekt befoarderet yntegrale duorsumens yn termen fan syn sosjale, ekonomyske, miljeukundige en romtlike prestaasjes.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Platina

No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Platina, in ekstreem prestisjeuze erkenning foar wier útsûnderlike, elegante en prachtige ûntwerpen. Platina-winners binne wûnders fan skepping, tsjûgenissen fan de grinzen fan yntellektuele kreativiteit, en litte it ûnevenaardige profesjonalisme en sjeny fan har ûntwerpers sjen. Fan dizze ûntwerpen wurdt ferwachte dat se de meast ferneamde wurken binne dy't de estetyk fan in tiidrek bepale, bydrage oan it wolwêzen fan de maatskippij en de grinzen fan keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology ferlegge. No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer lit in transsendint nivo fan treflikens sjen en makket de wrâld sûnder mis ta in bettere plak mei syn foardielige en weardefolle skaaimerken. No Footprint Wood House Woanarsjitektuer is in winnend wurk fan de A' Design Award yn Platina dat winsken wekker makket, ynspirearret, entûsjasmearret, behaachet en grutte freugde opwekket.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The No Footprint Wood House is located along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Its bioclimatic design integrates with the surrounding tropical forests and natural habitat. The project forms part of the ongoing No Footprint House series. Climate-responsive building variations are based on passive design strategies such as site-specific positioning and the use of natural resources. Industrial building techniques are combined with locally harvested and regenerative construction materials.
Dimensions & Packaging: The laminated wood system is an attractive and locally sourced resource to configure any model of the No Footprint House series. Alternative structural materials can be chosen according to the specific performance criteria, building location and budget. The production process is defined to deliver the project efficiently to any target location. Completely autonomous configurations are available for off-grid locations, including on-site energy production and waste water treatment.
Tags: Bioclimatic, Architecture, Sustainability, Regeneration, Residential, Development, Tropical, Climate, Modular, Design
Production Technology: The different modulations of the No Footprint House series are based on a three-by-three-meter spatial grid layout. Spaces can be configured by the clients according to the personal necessities and budgets. In the case of the wooden house, the specific client asked for two separate private areas of two levels each on both sides of the overall structure, combined with a nine-by-nine-meter double-height social area in between the two private wings. The two private areas are serviced by a central service core on each side, including the staircases, bathrooms and closets. It was the wish of the client to materialize the whole building in wood.
Design Challenge: The main challenge of the No Footprint House series, including the No Footprint Wood House as an expression of its ongoing material development progress, is to unite a broad variety of entities in a joined multistakeholder approach. Such broadness and systemic thinking are required to find solutions for some of the greatest challenges of our time, which includes the decarbonization of all sectors that significantly contribute to global carbon emissions, proposing concrete actions and solutions.
Research: Costa Rica has shifted from a strategy of sustainability to regenerative development. This condition creates numerous implications for housing. In this context, the No Footprint Wood House drives innovation through the development and incorporation of renewable and locally sourced materials in combination with passive design strategies and local energy production. The project is optimized through industrial and prefabricated building techniques, the first of its kind in Central America.
Inspiration: The No Footprint Wood House is based on the some of the history of prefabricated housing schemes in distant locations, such as the Maison Tropicale by Jean Prouve or the Dymaxion House by Buckminster Fuller. The project is also based on a roadmap to level carbon emissions Costa Rica. In this context, the modular building design options provide individual home owners with a variety of opportunities to contribute to the collective goal of balancing carbon emissions.
Project Duration: The actual project duration of each project depends on the specific building size and its respective location. Beyond the building of the house, many of our clients also engage in related strategies of sustainability and regenerative development. This can include strategies reforestation, the creation of food forests, permaculture, local energy production and continuous life cycle improvement. The duration of these aspects can be described as ongoing and potentially endless.
Operation Flow: The No Footprint Wood House has created different levels of interaction. On one hand, there is the classic relation from our team of architects and interior designers with clients and client groups. Moreover, the research arm of the No Footprint House project engages with universities and local material providers to continuously work on the development of improved building solutions that create community benefits with reduced environmental impact and cost, improving overall project performance.
Patents: Copyrights to all building designs belong to A-01 (A Company / A Foundation). The laminated wood system is produced by Woodpecker Costa Rica.
Image Credits: A-01 / Fernando Alda