casa en el yunque
This residence is nestled on the slopes of El Yunque’s tropical rainforest, on the footprint of a former house designed by architect Henry Klumb, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright who made a significant architectural contribution to Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century. The original house was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo and later rebuilt in the 1980s with a different design that presented serious functional and circulation issues. However, a terrace at the main level and a small wooden deck at the rear survived. These elements have been carefully restored and integrated into the new design.
The new design seeks to establish a dialogue with the lush surrounding nature and with the surviving architectural elements of Klumb’s original work. For this reason, the reduced footprint of the original house was preserved while the volumes were expanded vertically, culminating in a meditation space. Certain areas were excavated beneath the terrace, minimizing any impact on the existing vegetation. The only new addition to the original footprint is a small guesthouse located in front of the preexisting lower deck.
The main entrance is defined by custom-designed ornamental breeze blocks, which provide layers of privacy and security while shaping curvilinear perimeter patios that enclose the house in a permeable manner. The entryway connects directly to the kitchen, dining, outdoor living terrace, two bedrooms, and the vertical circulation core. On the second floor, there is a secondary bedroom and the main suite, which opens onto a spacious terrace overlooking the rainforest and the sea. The third level features a meditation room with panoramic framed views, conceived as a tranquil retreat in communion with nature. The exposed concrete ceilings—intentionally left with a rustic, imperfect finish—evoke organic forms and define the space through the framing of views and dramatic, shifting natural light.
The basement was excavated down to the original terrace foundations to create additional spaces, including a new terrace leading to the infinity pool. The pool’s triangular shape emphasizes its insertion into the rainforest and establishes a formal dialogue with the geometry of Klumb’s original terrace.
The pool is finished with pink tiles, inspired by the color of some flowers that bloom in the area. The pink hue contrasts with the dark brown tones of the house, which are intended to blend harmoniously with the forest’s deep palette. The kitchen is finished in terracotta—complementing the deep blue used in the vertical circulation areas. The design of the custom ‘criolla’ tiles was inspired by the bird-of-paradise flower, which also grows abundantly on the site.
In terms of volumetry, the house uses pitched roofs to accommodate the region’s profuse rainfall. The verticality of the main volumes also captures natural light above the dense canopy while creating elevated views to admire the rainforest’s lush landscape.
