HAPPY HOUSE

We design for those who aspire to make a change in their lives, for people who invest in their future, for those who believe that architecture can change the way we live, for those who want to achieve their goals, for those who want to support local communities and be actors of change.

We do architecture, we give contextual answers to problems of individual and/or collective scale where we bring our experience and vision to create experiences and spaces according to the needs of their users and in intelligence with the parameters of the environment.

We believe in the constant optimization of our creative process. Each project enriches the next one with new knowledge in the way of designing or building. Research on new materials (bamboo, containers, steel frame…) and unique and timeless designs are the key to satisfy our clients. We look for the right tools to analyze, design and build according to the requirements of the client, the site and the context. We work hand in hand with professionals in each area who accompany us and help us to engineer optimized solutions by crossing perspectives and fields of expertise.

When we choose to initiate a project with our client, it is the beginning of a new fruitful relationship where the exchange contributes to translate great ideas into significant achievements.

Our firm base is in Costa Rica where we work in a tropical ecosystem that facilitates experimentation. The contact with nature allows us to develop our creativity and ingenuity to the maximum in order to build projects in perfect harmony with the environment. Continuous travels and contacts with local architecture worldwide in France, Japan, Denmark, Tunisia, Italy, Mexico, among others enrich our perspective of the world in which we live.

Project Details

Designing a house is an experience in immersion and connection. Happy House is the result of a close relationship between the client, the Guanacaste landscape, and a true gem of a site.
Located on Finca Panamá, on the outskirts of the town of Tamarindo, the plot of land dominates the valley that is protected by the mountains. The plot is completely oriented toward the valley and a strip of sea, and its position reminds one of the amphitheaters of antiquity; an invitation to the contemplation of time and space on a stage of continuous movement.
The logic that pertains to the house is simple: two separate areas united under a large butterfly roof, and a floor plan that represents the symbol for infinity as a metaphor for the insatiable contemplation of the landscape.
The attention to the spatial division between the social and intimate areas is a constant in our creative process, a way of maintaining integrity in each space.
The project is positioned on the vergeof the view, leaving a strip of land on the backside, where it has been proposed that a tropical garden be laid out, as a transition for the visual spectacle.
Starting from the access to the terrain the house is characterized by its intimate feel and for the permeability and extension that unfold from the inside out; the view imbeds itself in each space as a frame from the landscape.
With its monochromatic color scheme, Happy House is characterized by a variety of grey and white tonalities that contrast with the landscape. They offer a neutral accent to the environment in Guanacaste which exists in a constant transformation of vivid and luminous colors. The living room’s neutral logic is contrasted only by the reddish furniture from the wood harvested in the area. The rooms present a gamut of pastel colors representative of its location.
The house is conceived with a double roof to reinforce the logic of the two areas and because of the insulating properties that are afforded by limiting solar radiation and ventilating the intermediate space.
With a minimalist style that contrasts with the forces of nature, Happy House positions itself on the Guanacaste heights, offering its guests a unique experience of connection and contemplation.