The No Footprint Wood House is located at the iconic Whale Tail Bay along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Its bioclimatic design integrates with the surrounding lush tropical forests and natural habitat. The project forms part of the multi-award winning No Footprint House series (NFH). Climate-responsive building variations are based on passive design strategies such as site-specific positioning and the use of natural resources. Industrial building techniques and prefabricated components are combined with locally harvested and regenerative construction materials. Since the creation of the first NFH prototype in 2018, a broad range of typologies have been built in response to the diverse micro-climatic conditions of Costa Rica. New and alternative construction materials have been developed to continuously improve the overall project performance. For the most recent wood house, a laminated teak system was developed in collaboration with the national building industry and international expertise. The process resulted in a systemic ‘kit of parts’, including columns, beams, panels and connectors. Besides developing an innovative construction system, the project impulses the training of workmanship to engage with the new construction techniques.
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Global Future Design Awards 2024
No Footprint Wood House (NFWH)
Sustainable Architecture (Built)
Firm
A-01 (A Company / A Foundation)
Architect/Designer
Oliver Schütte
Design Team
Oliver Schütte, Marije van Lidth de Jeude, Ronald Carvajal, Misale Rodríguez, José Pablo Gonzalez
Location
Costa Rica
Country
Costa Rica
Photographer/Copyright
©A-01 / Fernando Alda
The overall NFH project was developed as a response to a governmental roadmap for achieving sector-
wide decarbonization in Costa Rica. Worldwide, construction contributes significantly to environmental
contamination and the production of greenhouse gases. The first NFH prototype showed how to lower
emissions through industrial and prefabricated building techniques in combination with the principles of
bioclimatic architecture. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) proved a 40% reduction of carbon footprint in
comparison to the so-called “base case”, meaning a building of the same size and function built with
standard construction techniques. The LCA of the NFH is taking into account the choice and life cycles of
selected construction materials, construction logistics (movement of materials and workforce), energy
efficiency (use of the building and energy incorporated in the materials), as well as the recycling potential
of the individual components and materials used. Started as a research project, the NFH was first
introduced at the United Nations conferences on climate change in 2019. Based on the initial
achievements and success of the project, a dialogue was established with the local construction industry
to continuously improve project performance and lower the carbon footprint of the buildings. Today, the
NFH can be offered with a decarbonization rate of 80%. The remaining 20% of carbon footprint is
compensated by the on-site production of renewable energy, which forms an integral part of the overall
building system and catalogue. The systemic catalogue of selected building materials and components
makes it easy for clients to choose from a pre-selected and varied range of sustainable construction
materials that stimulate local and circular economies. With the No Footprint House, we like to speak of
integral sustainability and regeneration in terms of the socio-economic, ecological and spatial
performance of the project. The efficiency of the NFH in all areas, from design to construction and
maintenance, makes decarbonization an affordable reality.