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Black House (Maison Noire)
By : A-01 (A Company / A Foundation)
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Architecture : Grand Winner
Categories : Special Award / Architecture + Climate Change : Platinum Winner
Categories : Special Award / Sustainable Architecture : Gold Certification
Categories : Residential Building / Cottage & Country House : Gold Certification
Categories : Residential Building / Private House > 2 000 pi2 (> 185 m2) : Gold Certification
The Black House is located along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It has been developed as a new prototype for the multi-award-winning building series called No Footprint House (NFH). The climate-responsive design of the NFH variations is 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 building techniques and prefabricated components form an inherent part of the project in order to create a high level of efficiency that can be delivered to any target location. Since the creation of the first NFH prototype in 2018, new and alternative construction materials have been developed and integrated to stimulate local and circular economies. A broad range of building typologies has been built to continuously improve the project performance. The Black House was designed as a three-level steel structure with wooden finishes, providing the spaces for its owners to live and work in one compact unit. All wood is FSC certified and sustainably grown in Costa Rica. The tropical country is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro-climates. The overall goal of the NFH project is to create model homes for all of the climatic variations within the country, providing adequate and sustainable solutions for living and coexisting with the local tropical habitat. A series of interrelated case study homes illustrate the potential and create a new aesthetic for decarbonized housing, based on a roadmap to level carbon emissions in all sectors of the Costa Rican economy. The Black House was developed for the cooler and mountainous climates of the country. Operable facade elements open the building interiors towards their natural surroundings, resulting in a symbiotic relationship among nature and the built environment. The materialization of the building structure and finishes can be selected and adjusted according to the budget of each individual client, as well as the site-specific necessities. The Black House and its modular systemic approach result in a versatile proposal for sustainable and affordable housing, the first of its kind in Central America.
Collaboration
Architect : A-01 (A Company / A Foundation)
Interior Designer : A-01 (A Company / A Foundation)
