A Green Roof Allows This House To Blend Into The Surrounding Landscape

September 21, 2020
A modern house with a green roof.

Dagmar Stepanova of architectural studio Formafatal, has completed a unique house in Costa Rica.

The house, which almost blends into the jungle surroundings with its lush green roof, has a dark exterior made from burnt teak planks. Upon arrival, there’s no windows to be seen on the structure, which was done to create privacy for the home owners.

A modern house with a burnt wood facade and a lush green roof.

The other side of the 85 foot (26m) long house is filled with perforated metal screens that open to reveal each room. Each screen then becomes a canopy to provide shade on a sunny day.

A modern house with a metal facade and a lush green roof.

The metal screens have a slight pattern in the perforations, and when closed, create a shaded area with seating.

Metal screens with a perforated pattern create unique shadows for an enclosed patio.

There’s also an infinity pool that’s partially covered to protect it from the sun.

A modern house with a partially covered infinity pool.

Natural materials and earth tones have been used on the interior of the house, like the wood dining table and suspended wood ceiling. In the kitchen, hidden lighting was used to highlight the shelving and backsplash.

A wood dining table shares an open floor plan with a corten steel kitchen that has backlit shelving.

At one end of the house is the master bedroom that’s enclosed in glass.

A glass enclosed bedroom.

At the other end of the house are two bedrooms that also have glass walls, however, there’s colorful artistic screens which can be closed for privacy.

Two bedrooms that are separated by screens that have a jungle mural on them.

There’s also a shared bathroom for the two bedrooms, with a dual vanity, a walk-in shower, and freestanding bathtub.

A grey bathroom with a freestanding bathtub and colorful patterned floor tiles.

To understand the layout of the house, here’s a look at the floor plan.

The floor plan of a three bedroom, single story house.
Photography: BoysPlayNice | Architecture: Formafatal | Landscape architect: atelier Flera | Realization of screed surfaces: Different Design | Jungle watercolor painting: Muj Original