No Footprint House (NFH)

  • Company/Firm
    A-01 (A Company / A Foundation)
  • Designer
    Oliver Schütte
  • Lead Designer(Other)
    Marije van Lidth de Jeude, Ronald Carvajal, José Pablo González, Misael Rodríguez
  • Other Credit
    SLO Studio Local
  • Photo Credit
    Fernando Alda
  • Location
    Ojochal, Costa Rica
  • Project Date
    December 2018
  • Web URL
    view

The No Footprint House (NFH) is located in Ojochal, a small village at the edge of the vast tropical rain forests along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Placed in a humid tropical climate, the building design responds to its surrounding habitat by passive climate control through natural ventilation and solar shading. The NFH is organized around a central service core, which includes all services, machinery and intelligence. The compression of utilities in one compact unit enables an open floor plan all around the core. Moreover, it contributes to the building efficiency in terms of assembly and maintenance. Additional furniture pieces are “plugged” into the double-layered facade, which is created by the vertical structural columns and the inclined outer enclosures. The slanted skin decreases direct impact of sunlight and precipitation, which protects the elevated floorplan from overheating and splashing water. Façade panels can be opened or closed individually in order to regulate views and exposure, augment or reduce air flows, create privacy and security. They convert interior to exterior spaces and play with the dynamic among nature and the built environment.

Bio
A-01 is an interdisciplinary network organization for the development of integrally sustainable solutions. In a globally urbanizing society, we work at the borderline of city and countryside or help identify new synergies between the urban and rural domains. Our work methodology is designed to break the boundaries of a single professional perspective to allow for a holistic approach that shapes our products. We envision a long-term impact that involves economic growth, high-quality spatial surroundings, responsible use of natural resources and equal social development.

Other prizes
Various awards for different projects worldwide, including a total of 22 international awards for the No Footprint House (NFH).