Tropical architecture

Perched on the edge of the Costa Rican rainforest, the No Footprint House (NFH) responds to its surrounding tropical rain forest environment using passive climate control via natural ventilation and solar shading. Modular and prefabricated off-site, it is a prototype slated for serial production in Central America, a first of its kind. Based on a structural grid size of 12 x 9 meters and using a steel frame structure, this prefabricated concept that can be dropped off on site by truck comes in three different sizes that can be configured as desired. Sizes range from small space (36 m2) to mid-size (81 m2) to a family home (108 m2). The selection of all elements and materials is based on a thorough investigation of original, process and... More

In the Papagayo peninsula, placed on the tip of an seaward pointing, and slightly downward sloping ridge of a peninsular shaped lot, with forest on both sides ( one a natural reserve), is the house named Indios Desnudos. It is named after some of the most characteristic trees on the lot, indio desnudo (naked indian) they make up a focal point of the house, especially in the main living area. A house is designed to enjoy outdoor living and the views. Because of this, it is designed to be comfortable without the (optional) use of air conditioning. The internal spaces are integrated with the exteriors, which makes being in the interior feels like being outside. All living spaces have a view of the sea or the forest reserve. It has its main... More

1.0. Design Concept:After the neo classical era, in the first half of 20th century, the modern Architecture emerged with the use of new construction technologies like glass, steel and reinforced concrete. There was a paradigm shift from ornamentation to the functionality of the building and the climate became an important factor in designing the building envelopes.India having tropical climate, the concrete jalis and fins were the major components of building envelope and facades. Most of the public and institutional buildings built in India during late 20th century, are the perfect examples of tropical architecture.By the end of 20th century and beginning of 21st century, in the pursuit of chasing the western trends, architecture star... More

Cove House is a rich and tactile exploration into thresholds and edges. Thresholds between public and private space within the house are explored, along with a testing of the edge between the house and its external context. This edge was important due to the site being adjacent to an easement, allowing the opportunity to engage with the neighbourhood on three sides. It is common within Sanctuary Cove for planning restrictions to dictate the need to build to the boundary along such easements. A reoccurring benign response to this constraint has developed – one which we aimed to challenge with Cove House. We chose to express and celebrate this edge through a grand tactile gesture that beckons engagement and communicates the materiality of the... More

SDE4 includes more than 1,500 square metres of design studio space, a 500-square-metre open plaza; a wide variety of public and social spaces; workshops and research centres; a new cafe and a library. The building’s flexible design and high efficiency reflect the School’s ambitions of promoting new forms of teaching spaces as a scaffold for research. Most of the rooms are designed in a variety of sizes to allow a flexible rearrangement of layout for exhibitions, school-specific installations and future change of use.The building was envisioned as a porous architecture structured in a juxtaposition of ‘platforms and boxes’ expressing its programmatic content. One of the ambitions was to challenge the notion that an energy efficient building... More

Heritage is this gamut of inherited objects, ideas, culture, and traditions. Not to be confused with preserving or restoring old things, values and ideas; It is often the collective of the tangible and intangible that has been passed on over time. Chettinad in Tamil Nadu is a city known for its wealthy merchants that were once hosted to wealth from across the globe.  But the Great Depression of the 1920s’ led to their gradual downfall. Even the opulent homes crumbled as the inhabitants couldn’t afford its upkeep. The city today, perhaps, resembles a discolored painting. A standalone palace haunts a desolate land with impressive exteriors but disintegrating within. In the case of Chettinad and alike, what does the current time inherit?&... More

The client commissioned Studio Saxe to create a dwelling in the jungle that brings the outside in. The property was composed of a slope that went down into a beautiful creek that overlooks the jungle. Studio Saxe decided to create a large triple height space to be able to see the sky all the way from the bottom of the jungle floor and to appreciate the full scope of every tree that surrounds the house. This volume of space enclosed in glass is a powerful moment that brings shadows inside, natural ventilation and provides a place which is always surrounded by the jungle. The counter-intuitive design thought of sinking the house in the ground and at the same time creating a vertical atrium, that creates a powerful moment of discovery whe... More

The new French Embassy of Haiti consists in one circular structure taking place in a large park. The whole project creates an elegant campus that is both, a place of representation for the French Republic and a space for daily work. The new Embassy is inspired by the tropical architecture of several periods and is made in respect of the memory of the land where it takes place. The proposal is to build pavilion with light steel and wood frame with facades that filter views and protect from climatic effects. The building is organized on two levels around a covered atrium, illuminated and ventilated naturally. All the supporting services and the french consulate are located in the main pavilion. These services are wrapped around a large G... More

 “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. 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.” More

 “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. 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.” More

The Est 64 is a 1000 sqm office building project, converted from a 40-year-old warehouse on Sukhumvit 64, Punnawithi Railway Station. The former warehouse building was built as a two story reinforced concrete structure, with one mezzanine level and one flat roof. It rests along a long and narrow plot of land of 10m in width and 40m in length.The front of the building is west facing with a 10x10 sqm open yard. The building is parallel to a local road and opposite an international school’s parking lot. The back of the building is in close proximity to the roll house that opens to Sukhumvit road, which makes Est 64 a very accessible and convenient location. During the construction stage, a single-story building on the left became the temporary... More

Seascape Villa is an ocean front property on the island of Nusa Lembongan east of Bali. The design approach comes from the clients request to have “Mediterranean feel” to the villa. In response to this we have developed an architecture made of clean soft white volumes and we have combined these with various built in elements in concrete and pebbled floors. We had to work within a tight foot print due to building restrictions which resulted in a compact 2-storey main building which includes most of the bedrooms and communal spaces while we have placed the guest room above the service building which has been sunken slightly below ground level to reduce its impact against the main building. The pool area takes advantage of the length of the la... More

Thinking about creating a space for you and your family often ends in a utopia. The 192 is a family project, which is conceived in the long term, and consists of three cabins and a main house. In this case, the clients - my parents and my two brothers - agree that we did not aspire to have a luxury or ostentatious project. Rather, we always aspire to have a space where we can meet as a family, a simple and low-cost project. The cabin 192, is located in Altos del María, a mountainous area at the west sector of Panama. When visiting the site for the first time, we noticed the large number of pine trees -a species not native to this region- and we understood that the site should be reforested with native species that would... More

Dear readers, let's review one of the works of VAastu Architecture Studio in 2017. We named it "Rumah Taman".The plan at the beginning of the renovation is to add the first floor living room to the expansion of the old living room and family room. Then it developed to add a children's room on the second floor. The position of the new children's room is above the new guest room. The position of the old children's room on the second floor changed its function to a study room and connecting circulation between the child's room and the parent's room.For the front view of the house, the design style is harmonized with the old house to impress the house without renovation or additional size. By aligning the appearance of the house, it creates har... More