Nicaraguan Home
Cantemar Property, Playa Yankee, Nicaragua
This 400 sq.ft. guest house sits atop of a one acre property in the jungles of Nicaragua, over looking the Pacific Ocean. The home was designed for a Canadian couple who fell in love with Nicaragua, as a starting point for the couple to explore living in Nicaragua while they designed a larger family home. Their love of Nicaragua led them to incorporate as many local and traditional elements as possible. This quaint bungalow was designed to maximize views of the Pacific while keeping mind natural elements for cooling.
The building was strategically situated at the highest point of the lot and angled to to capture the wind, passively cooling the interior in the southern climate. The structure is concrete and brick, using a double wall system with an air cavity between, ensuring a cool inner wall. The owners' intent to maintain a minimal environmental impact guided the design to include a solar panel system in their garden to provide the majority of their electricity.
The owner's vision for the exterior of the home focused on portraying a home that had existed for many years. However, the concept of reclaimed brick does not exist in Nicaragua. The design team found a solution to this by purchasing new bricks, delivered in the back of a dump truck. The journey to the property down the unfinished Nicaraguan roads, wore down the edges, giving the bricks the appearance of being reclaimed.
The interior is composed of a queen bedroom set, full kitchen and dining area in one open concept space with a three piece washroom enclosed at the rear. Efficient storage options were an essential component in this design given the small footprint and that the owners reside in Canada the majority of the year.
The abundant windows around the entire house give this home a larger than life feel, with a true experience of living in the Nicaraguan jungle.
The larger family home is now in design with features added and included from the experience of living in the guest house for a few years.