Work — CAMILO ROSALES

Hammock House

Miami, Florida, 2000

This project speculates that “hammocks” or islands of trees were commonplace in the larger Miami area and that misguided development had razed them out. The design tries to undo this condition by creating a new island of trees in which the house is a friendly partner.

Rain Tree House

Managua, Nicaragua, 2010

The suburban lot where the house is located had only one major feature: a large Rain Tree (Samanea saman), a lone survivor of what once was a savannah forest. The tree’s presence inspired an awareness of organic life, the need of light, wind, and water. The design of the house developed into an essay of interconnected “light chambers” emulating the spaces of a sub-forest under the Rain Tree.

The contrast between two geometries was exploited. The narrow peripheral gardens surrounding the house were conceived as a coiling line of native plants and thin troughs of water culminating in the Rain Tree (conceptually represented as Quetzalcoatl - the mythical, feathered Mesoamerican serpent). On the other hand, a long internal corridor with complementary orthogonal connections to both living and dining areas forms a Latin Cross. Between the native New World and Old World geometries a series of interconnected “open cells” ensures spatial continuity and transparency between garden and house.

The house is set in an enclosed verdant domain. There is a transition from the protective exterior lava stone wall, to honed travertine floors and to polished marble and wood interiors - from exterior rusticity to interior sophistication.

House at Playa Honda

Pacific Coast, Costa Rica, 2008

In collaboration with Albert Knoepffler and Mercedes Stadthagen.

The steep site is comprised of a heavily wooded peninsula, a beautifully proportioned bay (Playa Honda), and a rock island in front of the protruding land mass. The shape of the house follows the existing contours. Roofs act as extensions of the natural green canopy, and the open pavilion provided for the main social areas, allows the landscape to literally “pass through” the residence.

HSBC Headquarters

Managua, Nicaragua, 2002

The site forms part of a busy intersection and it is both a corner and the end of a road axis. A cubic volume with a slightly rounded front addresses the strict site limitations and the corner and axial conditions. An ample banking hall was planned for the ground level facing a four lane thoroughfare and the axial road, while the tightly layered spaces at the back relate to the residential neighborhood behind the building. By perforating the packaged layers and the banking hall envelope, western sunlight could be filtered and the collection of openings allows a soft and changing luminance throughout the day.

Banco Uno Headquarters

San Jose, Costa Rica, 2005

In collaboration with Albert Knoepffler

Throughout the year, at 11 degrees latitude north, all sides of this building are subjected to considerable sunlight exposure. On the other hand, daylight penetration became an opportunity for minimizing artificial illumination while enhancing transparency and perceptual depth. A series of layered light-blocking and light-diffusing devices were used to articulate space and minimize glare, helping this way organizing, through luminous sequences, the various functions of this facility.

BATLEY SPEC HOUSE

Coconut Grove, Florida, 2021

This Spec House (shown during construction) is a collection of layered volumes both horizontal and vertical. The front presents a mostly opaque base with a lighter, painted, wood slat volume on the second floor.

The pierced voids in the front elevation contrast with the latticed interiors and largely glazed backyard facade. The house then becomes an exercise of progressive and linked transparencies, from protecting street side to liberating interior privacy.