Casa Las Olas

Architecture / Interiors

Dominican Republic

20,600ft² / 1,910m²

Completed 2020

Images /
Drawings /
Awards + Publications

Research:
PalmCrete 

Located on a previously undeveloped site, the Retreat House takes full advantage of the pristine beachscape at the front of the property, balancing expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean with the landscapes of the lush, dense jungle that dominates the majority of the site. Further inland, the Porch House and Glitch House provide additional guest accommodations and supplementary program.

In the most diagrammatic sense, the Retreat House is simply a transformed courtyard parti. Directed by solar orientation, natural ventilation and the desire to preserve all existing trees and vegetation, the evolved form is a drifting ring that shifts in plan and section just below the jungle’s canopy. The roof is a ruled surface of 160 scissor trusses; each is dimensionally unique, but simple in joinery and construction. The result is a highly complex and fluid structural condition that shifts along corridors, curves through primary double-height spaces, and rotates to navigate the geometry at each corner. The design facilitates a panoramic experience of the site, from its diverse jungle landscape to its vast ocean views.


Photography by Iwan Baan