An Architect’s Family Home in Costa Rica Is a Self-Sustaining Oasis

With lush gardens, solar panels, and a recycled-water system, the experimental home of architect Rodolfo Tinoco is equipped to fend for itself.

Aug 31, 2021 - 00:51

An Architect’s Family Home in Costa Rica Is a Self-Sustaining Oasis

With lush gardens, solar panels, and a recycled-water system, the off-grid home of architect Rodolfo Tinoco is equipped to fend for itself.

Located just one block from Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica’s main tourist destination, Casa Jardin represents a new model for self-sustaining architecture. "I wanted to create a prototype that would provide food, water, and power, and also protect during catastrophic situations like droughts and floods," explains architect Rodolfo Tinoco, who designed the home for himself and his young family.

A vertical garden on the main facade that weaves up and around the home "creates privacy from the adjacent road, helps control the temperature of interior spaces, and grows edible greens," says Tinoco.

The home is set atop V-shaped stilts, reducing its impact on the land while also creating a covered outdoor space below. But raising it was also a way to plan for the changing climate: "Elevating the structure addresses the fact that our sea level is actually rising and properties will have to deal with this in the future," explains Tinoco.