In this episode I talk to Oliver Schütte, co-founder and director of the interdisciplinary office for design and development A-01 (A Company / A Foundation). We talk about his recently completed project, No Footprint House, which is located in Ojochal, Costa Rica.

The house has received international recognition and numerous awards, including being publicly voted as the best rural house at this year’s Dezeen Awards. Next year, the project will be presented at the Venice Biennale.

It is a prefabricated house, created as a zero carbon home prototype. The form is very distinctive and sculptural, like a minimalist pavilion but with slanted sides and opening louvred wall panels.

The interview was great fun, finding out about designing for a tropical climate and how to create a home with a minimal carbon footprint that can be prefabricated and transported as flat pack on the back of a truck.

At the end of the episode, I ask Oliver the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
 – what really annoys him about his project?
 – what house has he visited that really inspired him?
 – and, if he could choose anyone to design him a new house, who would he choose?

You can find out more about their work at https://www.a-01.net and on the podcast Instagram. 

Photography by Fernando Alda

I hope you enjoy listening.