Casa Bromelia is a collaboration project between a group of adept architects, designers, and engineers with roots in Costa Rica and Germany and a passion for emotive but functional design. Their aspiration was to create a home in the Central Pacifico rainforest of Costa Rica that offers an inspiring, feel-good as well as functionally satisfying experience with nature playing the leading role.
Immersed in the canopy of the surrounding trees, the house is almost floating ethereally above the jungle. Structurally this was achieved by using an engineered heavy steel beam platform as a base, much like a bridge, however discrete, supported on both ends but free and clear in between. Since the support is not obvious, the house appears to be suspended in the forest – you can actually pass underneath the house.
This 4-bedroom home is level with the forest so you are not looking down on nature but harmoniously within and through it. You enter the house via a slightly inclined ramp from street level. The main door is made of tilt cortex steel and opens directly into the living space and is within a few steps from the sunken living room. Each bedroom and its immense windows give you the feeling that you can reach out and touch nature.
The dominant materials in the home are hardwoods of cenizaro, with golden to dark brown colours used for kitchen cabinets and bedroom closets. The wood is complemented with soft white wall colours, lightly patterned, and taupe stone flooring, creating a warm cozy feeling. Pilon, a dark maroon-colored wood is used for the outside decking and the flat wood bridge across the pool.
The walls of the 25-meter-long hallway are designed for artwork and paintings like a private home art gallery, also included in this corridor is a small library and seating area.
The house gracefully transitions from the closed inside structure to the open outside pool area with a featured pergola that starts in the middle of the kitchen and extends partially over the Spanish glass-tiled pool. The pool has an infinity edge and is positioned so sunlight always reaches through the canopy, yet the pergola provides shaded areas. Perched at an elevation of 400 meters above sea level, enjoy the soft breezes day and night.
Although the property is primarily about immersion in the forest, there is a beautiful partial ocean view looking westward. The developer of this 1.5-acre property also wanted to ensure that adjoining lots of the 12-acre master plan would take on similar natural themes, be discrete and maintain privacy and distance from one another.
This location was chosen within the gated community of Portasol as conservation and sustainability have always been at the forefront. The community has a biological reserve, protected green areas, waterfalls, lookouts, stunning rivers, and creeks on its 540 hectares with most of it dedicated to conservation and preserving its beauty and wildlife. Flora and Fauna abound and your closest neighbors will always be the countless species of colorful birds, butterflies, iguanas, and monkeys to name a few.
Whether your vision is to live in Costa Rica full-time or part-time, there are professional services to help at your doorstep. If you wish to rent out Casa Bromelia this property is also ideally suited to be a lucrative investment both as an appreciating asset and a yearly ROI. There is a well-established management & rental company onsite should you wish to enlist their help. This idyllic location 7 kilometers from the stunning Playa Linda and Playa Matapalo beaches. Within 15-20 miles to the north is Manuel Antonio National Park (the country’s number one visited park) as well as the 5-star Marina Pez Vela with world-class fishing, and in addition the Quepos Airport and hospital. Head South and enjoy the towns Domincial or Uvita, countless dining options, and beaches.
Features:
· 10 ft high ceilings
· Floor ceiling double pane windows for a full view to nature, yet provide a still quietness inside the house at night
· Sunken Japanese-style living room, providing an uninterrupted view of the canopy
· Tilt corten steel door, main entrance
· Beautiful wood pergola from house to the pool
· Anodized white aluminum facade (front of house)
· Elegant ramp walkway to the entrance
· Library, elegantly inset along the hallway
· Wide Louvered vertical glass panels in bathrooms
· Exquisite Spanish tile pool with infinity edge, and flat wood bridge
· Discrete PV solar panels and battery storage provides for 8 hours of selected electrical backup.
The house is currently under construction and over 85% complete, scheduled to be finished in August. Purchase prior to final completion will provide the opportunity for the new owner to personalize some of the final detailed finishings with the architect, if desired
Experience the pleasures of being intimate with nature in this spectacularly designed home.
Architect Biography:
The architects are a father/son team. Erik was born and raised in Germany, did his architectural studies at the prestigious Universidad de los Andes in Columbia, and furthered his studies with a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Universidad de Costa Rica. He has an independent practice in the design and construction of luxury homes, one of which was for Gisele Bündchen as well as Mel Gibson and others who want the finest in the original design.
