The five-acre hilltop locale is surrounded by trees and shrubberies with the original landscaping costs estimated to be approximately $3m, according to the listing agent.
Architect Richard Hammond and his wife, Daniela, a designer, saw their move to San José as a temporary adventure. But when they found an abandoned, partially built house on a beautiful sloping site, they decided to turn it into their dream home, putting down more permanent roots in the process.
“Instead of using a typical frame system, we created frameless windows by burying aluminum channels into the floors and walls,” says Richard. “It kept our glazing budget much lower than normal.” The sofas feature custom upholstery by Inverse Project and HDM.
The north side of the cabin is mostly closed off for privacy.
The home's abundance of glass creates a peaceful dialogue between the indoors and outdoors.
Conceived and developed by Arctic explorer Børge Ousland, these award-winning waterfront cabins are located on Manshausen Island, Norway.
Tombs are erected as monuments to those buried beneath them, but they can also be places for people to reflect more generally. In an isolated village cemetery towards the foothills of the Dolomites, Carlo Scarpa composed a mausoleum of such poetic proportions that it communes with all who enter it.
The sunken lounge was designed with "slowing down and appreciating the environment" in mind. A custom-made, built-in sofa wraps around the space, bleeding into the stairs and a custom wood display shelf. Not having a TV was an intentional choice. "We wanted the client to be able to lie back and watch the clouds and the sky, to have conversations, to read a book, to play with their pets," says Knights.
Loft Space
In the coastal town of Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia, local practice Harley Graham Architects elevates the Australian "garden studio" with this 646-square-foot granny flat. Named Marvel Street Studio, the guesthouse is an addition to a home designed by Paul Uhlmann.
“The steeply sloping site provides three unique spaces—the living attic, the pool deck, and the garden terrace.”
The night pavilion is reflected in the infinity hot tub.
The home is constructed atop a plinth made of local granite.
Located in Ojochal, Costa Rica, at the edge of a large tropical rain forest, the multi-disciplinary firm of A-01 (A Company / A Foundation) designed a prefabricated home that would respond to its local environment by exclusively using passive climate control.
This airy home makes the most of its beachside location with sustainable design, careful siting, and an expansive, glazed facade.
Set on the edge of Puertos de Beceite national park in Aragon, Spain, and available for vacation rentals, Casa Solo Pezo is a striking concrete square structure set on top of a smaller concrete square bass. Designed by award-winning and MoMA-exhibited Chilean architects at Pezo Von Ellrichshausen, this thoroughly modern residence has proportions and an interior layout that follows those of traditional Mediterranean homes with a strong indoor/outdoor connection. Its board-formed concrete exterior gives the building a texture and pattern that lend an almost organic, natural feel despite its very rectilinear form.
Douglas fir lines the walls of the entryway. A narrow striped rug adds texture to the white-painted wooden floor from Dinesen.
The oblique concrete roofs for each of the guest suites angle upward to allow for expansive views of the rolling hills and the valley.