Sustainable house in San Antonio, Escazú as part of a family cluster.

Casa Arias is conceived as a lightweight, elevated residence that negotiates a steep terrain while maintaining continuous visual contact with the surrounding forest canopy. The project is organized as a linear wing suspended above the hillside, supported by a combination of gabion retaining walls and slender steel columns that minimize ground impact.

A deep roof structure unifies the composition and provides long eaves for climate protection, while a fully glazed façade opens the main living spaces to the landscape. The house operates as an open, elongated platform—transparent on one side, enclosed on the other—balancing privacy with expansive views. Structural elements, circulation bridges, and cantilevered terraces reinforce the sensation of hovering above the topography.

The result is a residence that integrates structure, climate response, and site geometry into a coherent architectural gesture, emphasizing connection to the land without resting heavily upon it.