JOAN PUIGCORBÉ’S INOUT HOUSE ERASES THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR

A contemporary Costa Rican home that uses glass and an open layout to blur the relationship between inside and outside

Last time we featured the work of Spanish architect Joan Puigcorbé, it was the half-submerged and completely drool-worthy Casa Altamira in Costa Rica. The INOUT House is also in Costa Rica, but there’s nothing submerged about it (except for perhaps the swimming pool). While Casa Altamira buries itself into a hillside to become one with the earth, the INOUT House uses expansive glazing to dissolve the boundary between the home and the landscape.

An open void occupies the central space of the home and serves as the principal area for living and socializing. Here can be found the living room, kitchen, dining area, barbecue, swimming pool and terrace. Most of the glazing that encases the void can be entirely retracted, allowing the garden to become an extension of the interior. The long, thin swimming pool accentuates this impression as it crosses seamlessly from interior to exterior. Existing trees were left undisturbed to pierce the living space.

In order to maintain a certain level of privacy, bedrooms are placed on the void’s periphery. The exterior of the bedrooms as well as the front of the home is clad in combination of wood and foliage to block unwanted views and delineating certain boundaries through nature itself.

Both the interior and exterior are finished in pale Melina wood. The wooden planks provide texture for the facade and brighten the interior. In contrast, black granite makes up the kitchen and kitchen table – a shadow amidst the light. The granite’s glossy sheen is almost the opaque counterpart of the translucent glazing.