An Environmental Paradise In A Lush Forest Built With Prefabricated Components

It was a major challenge to build a self sufficient, low impact house in the middle of one of the most bio-diverse places on earth, without disturbing the land. One major obstacle was the location – 28.6 miles from the nearest town, Puerto Jimenez. Bringing building materials to the site and accessing the site were a challenge because there are rivers to cross without bridges and twelve small creeks that are sometimes not crossable on very rainy days, Architect Juan Robles concluded the house could only be built with prefabricated components because of its location and environmental requirements – limiting its intrusion on the land and being sensitive to the local ecology. 

The house is located seven hours drive from San José, The Costa Rican Capital city. It is situated in a very dense and deep tropical jungle, just outside the borderline of Corcovado’s National Park where there is no public infrastructure or grid energy available. Transporting materials to the site would be difficult since the road to the site is overgrown with wild forest foliage in addition to the rivers and creeks. Juan concluded the best option for building the house would be with a prefabricated steel frame and structural insulated metal panels (SIPs). 

The steel structure for the house was pre-assembled in San Jose, transported to the site and quickly assembled in about three months.The frame went up first, then the roof and the walls were mounted to the frame like a Lego system. The panels came 100% ready for installation, including all wiring and accessories. The metal SIPs were used to construct the walls and roof of the house. The panels by Versapanel were light and easy to transport to this remote location, are easy to install and weather resistant in this very humid climate. The panels form a thermal break providing excellent insulation, are impact resistant, can span large expanses and don’t require special skill to erect.  They are usually used for commercial construction, but as in this project is a good option for residential construction as well. 

In building this house, the architect designed it to have a minimal impact on the land, using materials with a low carbon footprint and ones that could someday be recycled. 

It was a major challenge to get energy and water to this remote location. To run appliances, lighting and other small energy users, the house was equipped with photovoltaic panels on the roof and a system of attaining hydroelectric power from a nearby spring with water going through a water wheel. The same water from the spring used to generate energy is used for domestic water use. Five thousand liter water containers are stored about 15 meters from the house. A solar hot water tank provides warm water for domestic use. 

Passive methods of ventilation and heating and cooling were created with an abundance of windows and doors. Large overhangs prevent overheating from the hot summer sun. A horizontal grid was built around the house that limits the sun’s rays and also diverts water from the house. It can also prevent birds from flying into the structure because the glass is not visible. 

Because this is such a humid area, materials were selected to resist the moisture such as the SIPs panels, paints and coatings for the steel structure.  

This has demonstrates many of the systems and materials that can be used to create off-the-grid housing. 

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.