Casa Bromelia

Description

Immersed in the canopy of the surrounding trees, the house is almost floating ethereally above the jungle of Hills of Portalon. Structurally this was achieved by using an engineered heavy steel beam platform as a base, much like a bridge, however discrete, supported on both ends but free and clear in between. Since the support is not obvious, the house appears to be suspended in the forest – you can actually pass underneath the house.

This 4 bedroom home is level with the forest so you are not looking down on nature but harmoniously within and through it. You enter the house via a slightly inclined ramp from street level. The main door is made of tilt cortex steel and opens directly into the living space and within a few steps from the sunken living room. Each bedroom and its immense windows gives you the feeling that you can reach out and touch nature.

The dominant materials in the home are hard woods of cenizaro, with its golden to dark brown colours used for kitchen cabinets and bedroom closets. The wood is complemented with soft white wall colours, lightly patterned and taupe stone flooring, creating a warm cozy feeling. Pilon, a dark maroon colored wood is used for the outside decking and the flat wood bridge across the pool.

The walls of the 25 meter long hallway are designed for artwork and paintings like a private home art gallery, also included in this corridor is a small library and seating area.

The house gracefully transitions from the closed inside structure to the open outside pool area with a featured pergola that starts in the middle of the kitchen and extends partially over the Spanish glass tiled pool. The pool has an infinity edge and is positioned so sunlight always reaches through the canopy, yet the pergola provides shaded areas. Perched at an elevation of 400 meters above sea level, enjoy the soft breezes day and night.

Although the property is primarily about immersion in the forest, there is a beautiful partial ocean view looking westward. The developer of this 1.5 acre property also wanted to ensure that adjoining lots of the 12 acre master plan would take on similar natural themes, and be discrete and maintain privacy and distance from one another.

This location was chosen within the gated community of Portasol as conservation and sustainability have always been is at the forefront. The community has a biological reserve, protected green areas, waterfalls, lookouts, stunning rivers and creeks on it’s 540 hectares with most of it dedicated to conservation and preserving it’s beauty and wildlife. Flora and Fauna abound and your closest neighbors will always be the countless species of colorful birds, butterflies, iguanas and monkeys to name a few.