vibrant, perforated aluminum cloaks formafatal's 'atelier villa' in costa rica

czech studio formafatal completes its ‘atelier villa,’ the newest expansion of the art villas resort, hidden among the jungles of costa rica. overlooking the beach of playa hermosa, ‘atelier villa’ introduces an introspective space which invites the visitor to merge harmoniously with their natural surroundings, experiencing luxury and adventure at once. the design team at formafatal express influence from the vibrant atmosphere of central and south america with its green roof and defining aluminum perforated screen façade.

all images by boysplaynice

nestled against a steep slope, formafatal integrates its ‘atelier villa’ at art villas resort into its natural surroundings. the spanning, prismatic volume is partially levitated overhead the lush tropical vegetation of the costa rican jungle landscape. looking outward, the visitor is presented with views only of the distant ocean and rolling green hills. the rear wall facing away from the vista is intentionally left windowless, to maintain privacy. the first and foremost priority is not only to ‘erase boundaries between interior and exterior’ but to emphasize structural simplicity and pure lines. the team recalls the typical costa rican ideal of ‘pura vida’ with a ‘pura arquitectura.’

formafatal’s art villas resort ‘atelier villa’ is expressed with finishes that are both discreet and vibrant, visually paired with the green roof to blend in with its surroundings. the ocean and jungle-oriented façades are fit with large aluminum perforated sections which do not heat up in the sun and are rust-resistant. when pulled up, these sections double as canopies. the scale and pattern of perforation is different on each of the sections, creating an exciting play of light and shadow inside. the panels’ special coating recalls the tone of cor-ten while the full back wall is clad with charred timber cladding treated with shou sugi ba, an old japanese technique of weather- and age-proofing the wood.

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project info:

project title: atelier villa at art villas resort

architecture: formafatal

location: bahia ballena, playa hermosa, costa rica

lead architects: dagmar štěpánová, martina homolková

client: filip žák

landscape architecture: atelier flera

completion: december 2019

photography: boysplaynice