Silver Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design · 2024
Black House Residential
- A' Design Award 2024 Silver Winner in Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: A-01
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 152,789
- Verification code 317A98D711 · Verify this award
About Black House Residential
The Black House forms part of the modular No Footprint House series. The climate responsive designs of the project are based on passive strategies such as site specific positioning and the use of natural resources for cross ventilation, solar shading and energy production, as well as rainwater harvesting and biological water filtration. Industrial construction techniques create a high level of efficiency that can be delivered to any target location, combined with locally harvested and renewable materials to promote integral sustainability and regenerative development for the built environment.
Oliver Schütte's Black House Residential emerges as a distinguished contribution to the discourse of sustainable tropical architecture, demonstrating how contemporary design principles may achieve harmony between built form and natural environment without compromising either structural integrity or spatial generosity. The work participates in a rich lineage of elevated pavilion structures developed throughout tropical regions, where raising habitable volumes above ground serves simultaneously to protect from moisture, promote natural ventilation, and minimize ecological disruption to existing landscapes. The steel framework, finished in a sophisticated charcoal tone, establishes a precise geometric order that reads as both protective armature and compositional gesture, its regular grid of columns and beams creating rhythmic intervals against the organic irregularity of the surrounding forest. The timber-clad ceiling plane introduces material warmth that mediates between the cool industrial steel and the living green of the environment, its grain patterns adding visual texture while suggesting connection to natural materials and craft traditions. Particularly noteworthy appears the integration of the mesh-enclosed upper level, which suggests flexible use as hammock space or recreational area while maintaining visual transparency through the structure. The extensive glazing of the principal floor dissolves the boundary between interior and exterior, inviting the landscape to become a continuous presence within the dwelling experience. Visitors may find themselves contemplating how this residence proposes a model for human habitation that celebrates rather than dominates its site, offering a meditation on shelter as dialogue between human aspiration and ecological responsibility.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Black House was designed as steel structure with wooden finishes, providing space for its owners to live and work in one compact unit. All wood is sustainably grown in Costa Rica. The country is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro-climates that the house responds to locally. Operable facade elements open the building interiors towards their natural surroundings, resulting in a symbiotic relationship among nature and the built environment.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- A broad range of project typologies are available, from tiny house to suburban villa and townhouse. Building costs range according to sizes, materials and services that are chosen by the specific client. The goal of the No Footprint House series is to create model homes for different climatic variations, providing sustainable and regenerative building solutions to coexist with the local habitat. The Black House was developed as a prototype for the colder and mountainous climates of Costa Rica.
- Tags
- Architecture, Bioclimatic Architecture, Regeneration, No Footprint House, No Footprint Community, Regenerative Development, Sustainability, Sustainable Construction, Wellbeing, Zero Footprint
- Production Technology
- The Black House was designed as a three-level steel structure with wooden finishes, providing space for its owners to live and work in one compact unit. All wood is FSC certified and sustainably grown in Costa Rica. Operable facade elements open the interiors of the house towards their natural surroundings, resulting in a symbiotic relationship among nature and the built environment. Costa Rica is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro climates.
- Design Challenge
- The No Footprint House was initiated to showcase the potential of decarbonized housing, based on a roadmap to a sector-wide decarbonization in Costa Rica. The project was first introduced to the public at the 2019 international conference for climate change by the United Nations. A life cycle assessment was made to illustrate the path to decarbonization. Different building typologies can be configured with sustainable materials and components according to the specific needs of each the client.
- Project Duration
- The Black House was developed as a prototype for the colder and mountainous climates of Costa Rica. The country is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro-climates. The goal of the No Footprint House series is to create model homes for all of the climatic variations of the country, finding sustainable and regenerative solutions for living and coexisting with the tropical habitat. The overall project was started in 2018 and is projected to last.
- Operation Flow
- The project was started as a series of case study homes to illustrate the potential of decarbonized housing, based on a broader roadmap to level carbon emissions sector-wide. Industrial and prefabricated building techniques optimize production efficiency, in combination with locally sourced and renewable materials such as bamboo, hempcrete and different types of wood. Materials are developed in collaboration with the local building industry in order to stimulate local and circular economies.
- Research
- Costa Rica has shifted from a strategy of sustainability to regenerative development. This condition creates numerous implications for the Black House as part of the No Footprint House series. The project is optimized through industrial and prefabricated building techniques. It drives innovation through the development and incorporation of renewable and locally sourced materials in combination with passive design strategies and local energy production, the first of its kind in Central America.
- Inspiration
- The primary inspiration for the Black House and its overaching No Footprint House series is nature, as well as the question of how to ease the impact of construction on the environment. Since the creation of the first prototype, new and alternative construction materials have been developed and integrated to continuously improve project performance while stimulating local and circular economies. A broad range of typologies have been built in response to the specific locations and client needs.
- Image Credits
- A-01, A Company and A Foundation, with Azure Peace
- Patents
- A-01, A Company and A Foundation, with ARS Arquitectos Ingenieros
Colors of Black House Residential
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