A custom home located in the unique Pacific coastal town of Las Catalinas, Costa Rica. The town plan calls for a car free walkable town based on the principals of New Urbanism. New York Times Article. 

The concept for the project was to create a house that complied with the aesthetic architectural requirements of the town, but also to create a contrasting simple modern interior space that was in harmony with local materials and references.  

In keeping with the environmental vision for the town, the home includes a number of strategies to reduce energy and material use. These include:

Insulated Glazing, High R-Value insulated roofing, Motorized window shades, Solar hot water heaters, polished concrete floors to save on flooring materials as well as to use the thermal mass of the floors for cooling.

The automatic window shades are timed to respond to the sun in order to reduce direct solar radiation.