The richness and diversity of the forest around River house is obviously a result of its
damp soils and ever-changing water table. To be able to inhabit this very alive
environment, careful analysis of the river’s behavior was put in practice to understand
the elevation and the type of material required to raise the lot as well as the ideal
species for landscaping.
Another important aspect of the floorplan was to break down the house into smaller
separate footprints and orient them in a way that the water can, in case of a flood, move
across the property without obstacles and thus keep the built structures intact.
The very idea of incorporating the river’s overflow as a landscape design resource and
a conditioning factor of the design led to position the main module of the house along
the riverfront, and to use the mass of the pool as a contention structure, around them,
gentle sloped gardens drain the rainwater towards the river, layered by their proximity to
the water which determined the species to be planted.
Location: Hacienda Iguana, Tola, Nicaragua