finca bellavista: a sustainable treehouse community, costa rica
finca bellavista: a sustainable tree forest community, costa rica
image © anders birch
all images courtesy of finca bellavista
it’s has been seven years to the day since the finca bellavista founders mateo and erica hogan first visited the property that was to become their
off-the-grid home high in the costa rican rainforest canopy. the idea of creating a veritable self-sustaining community was borne as a way to make the 62
acre site more possible to acquire as well as fully integrate the built form into the landscape. the cluster of treetop structures hovers near the edge of
the picturesque whitewater rio bellavista, surrounded by the emerald to yellow-green foliage of paradise. the whole of the property is now a 600 acre
complex connected by ziplines and suspension bridges. the core team lives and works on the property while myriad transient residences and guests
enjoy the paradisaical surroundings temporarily. the ‘finca’, or farm, is part of a eco-minded nonprofit adventure hotels of costa rica; however, the
treetop town remains among the few untouched environments in the country.
while the nearest town is 1.5 miles away, the community is self-sustaining, complete with a dining hall, open-air lounge, a ranch, bathhouse,
campfire ring and wedding garden. the complex continues to grow and breathe a different sense of life into the forest with few treehouses in
various construction stages thereby contributing to the world’s first planned, contemporary, sustainable treehouse community. each resident is
required to purchase and use a biodigester, which generates electricity and heat with a waste-to-energy process, and the architecture is optimized
to make the most of cross-ventilation, passive natural lighting and responsible building systems. the burgeoning neighborhood attracts like-minded
people, committed to conservation and willing to be subtle participants in the overarching balance of the yet-unperturbed ecosystem. as the
diaphanous water cuts through the property and the presence of immeasurable life forms teems around the dwellings, the the built form,
as it both presides and latches on to the architecture of the earth, proves that the delicate exchange between man and nature is not just possible,
but is rather the most exuberant way to interact with the world.
an interview with the founders and some guests, with some picturesque views of the rainforest
video © finca bellavista
one of the homes in the emerald context
image © finca bellavista
view from the forest floor
image © silke gondolf
homes are complex spaces that wrap around the natural architecture of trees
image © anders birch
view of one house from the interior of another
image © geoff gillstrom
as the community grows, the building typologies change
image © finca bellavista
view of a more axially planned structure with ample ground floor area
image © finca bellavista
(left): view of the main suspension bridge
image © bourne photography
(right): view down at the layered spaces of a home
image © finca bellavista
wraparound decks help ventilate the home while making the most of the surreal surroundings
image © tim hussin
the ‘fince’ is equipped with a generous wooden dining hall
image © bourne photography
bedrooms invite and reflect the surrounding rainforest
image © anders birch
two different home and guest house typologies
image © finca bellavista
interior view of bedroom with live-edge paneling and a plethora of richly grained wood planes
image © bourne photography
night views show the inherently luxuriant material in warm yellow light
image © tim hussin
night view of the ranch
image © allison shelley
ARCHITECTURE IN COSTA RICA(28)
Aug 31, 2020
Aug 09, 2020
Jul 21, 2020
Jul 21, 2020
Jul 19, 2020TREEHOUSE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN(76)
Sep 21, 2020
Sep 18, 2020
Sep 17, 2020
Sep 15, 2020
Sep 13, 2020PRODUCT LIBRARY
Sep 21, 2020
Sep 21, 2020
Sep 21, 2020
Sep 20, 2020
Looks great. I hope they are hiring locals, and if they are immediately suitable for the needed work, training and educating them. Sustainability is more than just being ecologically sensitive.
By the way, what does this mean: “diaphanous water cuts through the property.” Are you trying to say mist or fog or humidity, all of which are abundant in the rain forest?