Dos Vistas
“A remote home immersed in the mountain landscape, framed by two horizons: the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Nicoya.“
| Overview
Set nearly 300 meters above Cabuya, where the mountain meets the protected landscape of Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, Dos Vistas occupies a rare position between two horizons: the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Nicoya on the other.
Studio Saxe was commissioned to design a substantial home that could embrace both views without dominating the landscape. Rather than placing a single object on the mountain, the architecture follows the topography, extending the landscape through the property as living spaces, planted terraces, and gardens intertwine with the land.
| Concept
The program’s scale posed an important challenge: how could a large home feel intimate while staying connected to its natural setting?
The intention was to discover the house slowly, never seeing it all at once. At its center, the main living space sits beneath a lightweight, pagoda-like roof pavilion, while the bedroom volumes descend into the mountain, reducing their presence within the landscape.
As one moves through the property, corridors, gardens, terraces, and transitions between volumes become part of the experience. At different moments, the architecture opens toward either the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Nicoya, creating changing relationships with light, landscape, sunrise, and sunset.
| Design
Dos Vistas explores a contrast between weight and lightness. Concrete structures anchor the house into the mountain, with retaining walls extending deep into the rock and terraces projecting outward over the steep terrain. Above, a lightweight pavilion appears to hover over the main living spaces, providing shade while remaining open to air, light, and distant views.
Concrete, glass, timber, and steel form a restrained material palette. Materials were selected not only for their immediate qualities, but for how they will change over time, weathering naturally and developing character within the tropical climate.
Like wine, the architecture is intended to improve with age. As materials weather and vegetation grows, the house becomes increasingly embedded within the landscape. Even far into the future, when perhaps only its ruins remain, they should feel as though they had always belonged to this place.
| Sustainability
The remoteness of the site required the house to operate independently from conventional infrastructure. Water is sourced from local springs, energy is generated on site, and biodigesters manage waste within the property, allowing the residence to function off-grid.
These systems work alongside passive architectural strategies. Deep overhangs provide shade, open living spaces encourage natural airflow, and vegetation integrated throughout the architecture helps create a comfortable relationship with the tropical climate.
Rather than treating sustainability as an additional layer, the project responds to the realities of inhabiting a remote landscape as responsibly and independently as possible.
| Interior Architecture & Design
The interior architecture of Dos Vistas was designed around comfort within the tropical climate. High ceilings create generous volumes, while large opposing openings encourage cross-ventilation throughout the house. Deep overhangs protect the spaces from direct sun, creating interiors that remain open and comfortable within the mountain environment.
The architecture establishes a strong relationship between inside and outside through its material palette and detailing. Wall and ceiling finishes, built-in elements, and louvers were conceived as part of the architecture, establishing continuity across thresholds and throughout the house. Kebony wood extends across ceilings, overhangs, and louvers, bringing warmth to the concrete, glass, and metal structure while reinforcing the connection between interior and exterior spaces.
Within this architectural framework, London-based interior designer Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay developed the interior design with natural materials, textiles, furniture, and objects that bring warmth and intimacy to the scale of the house. Her work complements the architecture without overpowering it, allowing the structure and surrounding landscape to remain present.
Local craftsmanship became an important part of Henri’s approach. Custom furniture and joinery made in Costa Rica sit alongside handcrafted pieces and objects collected internationally, giving the interiors a sense of permanence and character that can continue to evolve with the house over time.
| Construction
Building Dos Vistas began with creating access to the property itself. The site’s isolation and steep terrain meant that construction had to be considered as a complete system, from establishing access to determining how materials and people could reach and work on the mountain.
Prefabricated elements were transported up the mountain, workers camped on the property, and temporary off-grid infrastructure was established to support the construction process.
Ultimately, the project became less about the construction of a house and more about creating the systems that would allow this place to exist, and continue to exist, within such a remote landscape.
