Casa Kiké
Costa Rica, 2005—2007
A private house and writing studio set on a beach in Cahuita, Costa Rica. Two timber pavilions, each a parallelogram, are orientated so their sides are parallel to the boundaries of the site, the glazed ends are twisted away from the meridian to catch the northerly sea breezes and shade the glazed walls at all times. One volume for daytime use, one for night, the pavilions are raised 1.2 m above ground level on timber bases supported on timber piles. Inside, the library of 17,000 books, a writing desk and a grand piano, where the books and the structure are brought together in what are in effect structural bookcases. A locally adapted architecture, using locally sourced materials and labour, that impacts on its surrounding only minimally both physically and environmentally.
"It is a remarkable work. For all the timber pyrotechnics of the roof structure and the irregularity of its shape, it is a calm and comfortable place to be. The project shows what can be achieved with a modest building type and a simple brief when placed in the hands of an imaginative and assured architect."
Lubetkin Prize Jury, 2008
Casa Ki-Ké
A film by Gianni Botsford and Jim Stephenson
Casa Ki-Ké in Costa Rica was designed by Gianni Botsford for his father, his 17,000 books, a grand piano, and his paintings. In the years up to, and following Keith Botsford's death, the award winning house had begun to fall into disrepair and so in 2019 Gianni returned to begin the process of cleaning, and restoring the house as well as recovering lost artworks, readying it for new owners. This film uses footage shot by Gianni on his return, coupled with a reading of a letter he wrote to his father, posthumously reflecting on the process of designing the home.
"It is incredibly refreshing to see a film about a building during its life, rather than when it is new. This film tells the story of building in time, how it is affected by the weather, how it needs to be cared for, the connection between a person and a building designed for them, about building in the context of a community, how a local work force built it and then repairs it using timber from the garden."
Kate Darby
