Czech Republic- and Costa Rica-based architecture studio Formafatal has recently completed the very first rammed earth implementation in Costa Rica. The twin villas, called Achioté are situated on a steep plot of jungle, 984 feet above the sea, and are embedded in Playa Hermosa’s hillside, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Each of the 1,022 square foot villas comprises a large bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, surrounded by an open-air terrace that extends to an infinity pool. The facades are clad in rammed earth (a mixture of sand, loam, clay, and other ingredients rammed hard within forms as a building material), excavated from the site, and three solid exterior walls surround the identical rectangular plans. The rest of the enclosure is frameless glass that recesses into grooves in the ceiling, providing a seamless view of the Pacific Ocean.
The Jaspis villa has warm sand shades, while the Nefrit villa features terracotta and charcoal shades, reflecting the site’s energies, as perceived by the architect, Dagmar Štěpánová. The bathrooms offer views of the surrounding jungle, while the kitchen and bathroom counters become part of the concrete monolith.
Formafatal founder, Dagmar Štěpánová, served as the architect, project manager, construction manager, and co-investor for the project, completed last year. Brazilian expert Terra Compacta was brought in due to Costa Rica’s lack of experience with the construction method. The twin villas are a part of Formafatal’s expansion in Costa Rica, which began with the Art Villa concrete rental home project in 2020, in collaboration with Refuel Works.
For more interesting architecture, see Kenmont Gardens, a stunning Gothic church conversion.