This is a small project located in a beach of the Pacific Ocean in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. And it consists on building a house of two rooms in the second level for two twin brothers (since the main house has become small), leaving the first level for parking of the main house that has view to the ocean, this lot is situated in front of the main house.



At the moment the lot is occupied by the house of the Housekeeper, and for parking place, the House Keeper's house should remain in the back of the lot.



This is the proposal…

Plant 1st. Level...

Plant 2nd. Level...

Rendered in Artlantis R...

Same view filtered with Photoshop...

The actual lot at it is now...

Sandro, where's the ocean? In front or at the back of the house? Your clients are in the car business!! :D

HOLA SANDRO!! I understand this is the main entrance to a bigger house in a big lot?
How does this go with the main house?
The scheme of two suites with a living room in the middle works good for this type of projects, I wonder how does this introduce you to the "big" existing house.

Am I reading the plan correctly? .. Lounge Sitting Area is open not glazed ?

(not a criticsm just amazed at a climate that allows this level of comfort)

no offense sandro, but i find the exisiting condition photo quite appealing in terms of the massing (the long continuous block), layout of the courtyard, exisiting vegetation and the feeling on the site. i would imagine working with that adding to that massing might be less... 'house-landed-on-site'.... just my first impression

I was recently sketching a similar beach house, but on ground. I like the kitchen in the center of activity and using the living also as dining area. You apparently go a step beyond using an open living space.

We would need to understand the site better to know why living areas are above ground, and if there is a view of the beach or how far it is from the house.

Your plan does not show the house behind the lot or the end of the lot. Will it remain after the other one is built?

So you have to cross the street from main house to this new one, right ? And your opened living looks towards the main house. Now where's the ocean ?

So you have to cross the street from main house to this new one, right ? And your opened living looks towards the main house. Now where's the ocean ?

And if you can see the sea is it possible to use the roof as landscaped terrace giving additional living space / parties & better views?

Thanks for the comments, the new house actually will serve as a dormitory and some living in this open balcony terrace. the weather is a tropical one so allmost all year can be used. The mayor activity is in the main house, yes you have to cross the street to gen in. The main house has a beautifull view to the beach. From the new one there is no way to see the beach or the ocean.

This is a large family property, so in summer, and many other times the house is full (people and cars). The lot across the street must remain mainly as a parking place, so the bedrooms must go to the 2nd. level.

Here a skecht of the situation...

A view of San Juan del Sur...

I still think 2 young guys could find a use for the roof (especially as I now see the photo & think they could see the sea a little between houses)

Of no importance to you but of general interest .. in the UK a street is often given a building line and no houses should be built in front of this line. I disagree with this but have to live with it as a restriction. (I envy you the climate & the design freedom you have.) I may be about to submit something which pushes the rulebook a little but I am not hopeful for success.

A view of San Juan del Sur...

Your clients are lucky bastards

Where are you ?

A view of the open living...

I would eliminate some pillars, perhaps let a big horizontal volume sit on two solid bases and be cantilivered over them. (these bases could house the entrance stair, for example).
I know this makes the structure more expensive, but the design would benefit IMHO.
The roof should make a great terrace, perhaps with an outdoor stair conecting the front balcony to it.

Isn't it enough for those brothers to look the same? Do they have to live in identical rooms as well? In my opinion the design would benifit from making it more assymetrical, to make it less ridgid, and to express the brothers individuality.

Isn't it enough for those brothers to look the same? Do they have to live in identical rooms as well? In my opinion the design would benifit from making it more assymetrical, to make it less ridgid, and to express the brothers individuality.

Nice thought but probably less conflict if they have same rooms & choose their own furniture & decor
What age are they anyway & when are they going to fly the roost?

So this project deserves 2 stars=BAD, it is so bad? if so I am thinking to remove it in order to mantain the level of this forum...:confused:

Site location in google.

Sandro,

I think everyone needs to understand the limitations of the project which help shape it. For example the construction materials, which seem very similar to what most people here want for reduced maintenance. The need to keep cars safe, the cultural environment, etc...

On the other hand I take the comments as ideas to improve your proposal. I welcome the hard hitting criticisms you van get here, although you do not have to acknowledge them. They can help us rethink and improve.

I wanted to propose another idea. What about providing some connection between the balconies horizontal stripe and the room windows. The top of the bedroom windows is lower than the slab you see in the balcony. I suppose all the slab is at the same level to make it cheaper. The lintels above the windows can be expensive in terms on forms. Why not take it up to the slab also making the top of windows the same as the balcony? The lower part of windows can also coincide with the balcony railing.

I wanted to comment on materials. For me I would not like a beach house all in concrete. Since you have the living area all open, would the customer consder using wood in that part to give it another feeling and a higher ceiling? Maybe you can also access from there with a simpler wood stair to the roof.

Kevin,

You seem to have a suggestion about the site and house location, but I do not understand what you mean. There may be some setbacks required.

Sandro,

Are there setbacks?

Another view, other colors, showing the roofs...

I am trying to understand the climate & location I've been reading up a liitle on San Juan .. Fascinating Place & on my list to consider escaping to.
It looks like the lake behind is a Flooded Volcano & reminds me of Santorini
The volcano must have blown with a big bang at some time

On the design it seems that you have far less building codes / regulations
I would be concerned with the height of the balcony (very low) which would affect the window even more. Also do you think you need projecting shade to those windows? And I would be tempted to open up the windows to have their own balcony to each room.
Gates to entrance may be better if sliding / better if not there at all.

Yes worth more than 2 star IMO

ReD:

The balconies are actually sitting benches in order to not disturb the view to the open (not necessary the beach).

San Juan del Sur is situated betwen the Pacific Ocean and the Lago de Nicaragua as you can see in the post of Franjayo, this is the view of the lake nad the Ometepe Island, with two active vulcanos, the other vulcano is on the right side...

This is another view of the main house from another project of mine...

Sandro. I want to be architect there !!

Francesco, post a photo reportage of Ham s/ heure... maybe Sandro will be jealous :D (I doubt it :wondering but you never know...)

Francesco, post a photo reportage of Ham s/ heure... maybe Sandro will be jealous :D (I doubt it :wondering but you never know...)

...on se moque ?

You're right to doubt, Michel.
Anyway, here's the link
http://www.ham-sur-heure-nalinnes.org

Notice ... a marvellous XIIth century castle as a city-hall. Not bad for this small belgian village.
And I like to think there's a link to HsH between these picts of Paradise, Sandro.

i guess what i am saying is... based on the existing site photo, there is a long wall on the left(north) that really frames a south facing courtyard that's full of trees and i think the linearity of that and the vegetation feels rather nice.

here is what i thought initially when i saw that picture.

Having some fun...

cantilevered building projecting the living area - terrass - towards the ocean. Kitchen + bathrooms + staircase around the central structural core. Bedrooms overhanging on both sides of main volume. Parking... hmmm... :wondering

better this view...? :wondering

Kevin & Michel,

That is why I asked about setbacks and applicable rules if any. Traditional two dimensional planning setbacks in my location would have forced a solution like the one proposed by Sandro, a house centralized in the lot. This has recently been changing, for more complex planning rules, not necessarilly better. Sandro, can you clarify if the site is affected by such rules?

Interestings sketches Swank-E and Michel, I'll study them (in the lot that I'm working there is no view to the ocean). Francesco, here is nice but a bit "jungle", the nature is so strong, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis (not jet...) but also is very nice...

This is another project in the near...

Sandro

You have brought out the creative vein in us. The comments have gone far beyond words. I haven't seen these many alternate proposals since my low income housing thread in PBB1 (the forum hit me very hard then too).

Think of these comments as our way of looking at the problem, and the time and effort involved in drawing up the critiques as the measure of our interest and care.

Sit back and enjoy this, this is a flattering gesture of a community that has a very high opinion of you.

For the opportunity of picking on your mind, thank you.

Saludos

Juan

Thanks for your words Juan, you allways make other people feel good, ad you are right in your commets. I thanks all the commentts posted.


This is a broad view of the las pick (a 400.000 dollars house, plus 100.000 of the lot) is just finishing now...

for those wanting to play with the models, here is mine and feel free to tweak all you like (which is the same base model as michel's)

for those wanting to play with the models, here is mine and feel free to tweak all you like (which is the same base model as kevin's) :D
Keep us posted Sandro, but please stop those pictures!!! I feel soooo derpressed! :D :peace: :rock on:

I was thinking more on this direction, just simplify the bases and break the symetry...

the skippy...

mmm, don't like how the right pilar looks in my scheme... :wondering

Special thanks to Swank, Michel y el Primo, for your time and efford in develope new ideas and skeches, I appreciate that very much, all are valid ideas, I personally like most Michel's idea it allmost fly! very nice, but I'm afraid that is a expensive solution. BTW I have not yet received the reaction of the client...

The client purpose is just to build the bedrooms witout take away the parking place.

sandro -
I agree with the things said here. There are always different solutions, just depends on which problems you want to research and solve. Some things want to be down played and some things want to be enhanced.

I'm with SWANKE all the way, The "before" shot really caught my eye too. And so I stated with his model. Might be over drawn out - but it is fun to try to inspire. Out of craziness sometimes come good ideas.

K

Skippy

I liked Sandro's original layout, I saw it more as a development of that layout. Although some interesting schemes have been brought.

To bring in other issues, these schemes do not give much importance to the entrance and the importance of the connection to the other house and the beach. How a bout a scheme where you connect through a large direct staircase with two garage entrances on the sides?

SKP files in ver 4.

I tend to prefer this to your first one

The Ground Floor Central area could then be used for .. Houskeeper / Utility Laundry ?

A scheme which allowed the cars to turn within the property would be my aim. At moment it looks like you drive in ok but then have to reverse into the road

Are there problems building close to or on the boundary? as Wilson scheme?
Would Wilson scheme give a sight to the sea between the opposite buildings?

Sandro just got this thread... strange, already more than 6 days...well, I thing the other guys already told verything...
I agree at least 3 stars...

I think the plan could be better designed, as Michel or Swank-e proposed...
But there are always loads of constrains... to create the perfect or at least the desired project... :cheers:

What a great thread - I just noticed it. I think the alternatives that have been tossed out are quite compelling.

hey sandro, whatever happened with this project?

I believe the environment there is very similar to that of Mal Pais, Costa Rica, which is approx 250 km south.. I spent a great deal of time there in the Nicoya penninsula a few years ago house and land shopping. The Pacific coast was filling up with new resorts and developments but the rule was you couldn't own land within 1/4 mile from the beach, it was more of a long-term lease. I assume the roads there in San Juan Del Sur are also dirt, and coated with Molasses for the weekender traffic?

I do like the original concept and all the discussions and ideas being tossed around in this thread.. another good show of the ppb community in action!

Sandro,

How did this project develop? Seemed to be an interesting one.

Saludos,

Francisco

Sandro,
Also, where is the front door? we have a security problem where I live.....

This has been a very interesting exercise and the Thread has been enriched by all of you, I apreciate this a lot, thaks fiends!

The bad news are that the owner never have decided to do anything yet... so it reminds only ideas...

Thank you Sandro, now you could use these for the next client! Best of luck.

Sandro

Dear friend it's great to hear from you! Please let us know what you've been doing. We miss you around here. A word of greeting and good wishes to your wife and family from Olga and I, we both remember your warm hospitality very fondly.

"Un fuerte abrazo! ( A strong hug!) de su colega y amigo que le distingue y admira!"(from your collegue and friend that so distinguishes and admires you!)

Juan

Thanks for your words Juan I am proud of been your friend, the world need more people like you, abrazo fuerte...