Location: Manzanillo, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Year: 2019
Area: 598 m2

Cocuyo Blanco is a house located in Manzanillo, Costa Rica. Manzanillo is a secluded beach situated in the outer border of the Nicoya Peninsula, part of country’s northern pacific coast. It offers touristic activities such as sport fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling.  

The site has an irregular topography and geometry. It can be accessed through the public road in the south side of the lot. Several autochthonous trees can be found scattered through the terrain, all of which are preserved. Most of the terrain is covered in pasture and offers views towards the mountains of Cóbano.

The project consists of 3 separate architectural interventions joined by a continuous walkway. Each component of the house is layed out according to how public/private it is. The first block, the ‘barn’, houses a game room, basketball court, bathroom and guest room. A pool and deck area acts as a link between the barn and the kitchen/dining/living room. Two curved gabion walls enclose both blocks giving continuity to individual spaces and containing the soil above them. A separate block located in a lower part of the property holds two mirrored modules. Each one houses 2 bedrooms and a bathroom and accommodates up to 7 people. All blocks are positioned according to views, solar orientation and topography.

Cocuyo Blanco has separate aesthetic languages. Different materials are used to empathize each program. The ‘barn’ and kitchen area combine concrete, stone and metal with glass panels and green roofs. The bedroom block employs corten steel siding and brickwork for exteriors and wood paneling for interiors.