Waterfall House

An off-grid forest house on the Osa Peninsula, cross-ventilated entirely by sea breezes through a linear veranda plan, powered by hydroelectric turbines and solar panels, with a spring routed through the building as a series of interior pools and a waterfall.

Waterfall House sits in a dense tropical forest in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, on the edge of the Osa Peninsula overlooking the ocean. The design began with two imperatives: to disappear into the landscape, and to make wildlife observation as natural as breathing. The answer is a linear plan wrapped on all sides by deep verandas — shaded, rain-protected outdoor rooms that allow the forest to come to the building's edge. The house tracks the prevailing sea breezes along its length, enabling cross-ventilation throughout and reducing air conditioning to almost nothing.

The house is entirely off-grid. Micro-hydroelectric turbines capture energy from a nearby spring; solar panels supplement the supply. After leaving the turbines, the spring water is directed through the house itself — becoming a waterfall and a series of pools that form the living heart of the interior. Materials are natural, durable, and chosen for minimum maintenance in a climate that is relentlessly humid and alive. Everything is selected to age well alongside the forest — to blend rather than resist.