If you were to design yourself a luxurious custom home from which to enjoy views of a lush jungle far from the city, what would you include" How would you arrange it" Perhaps you?d give it multiple levels so you could gaze out onto the landscape from multiple directions. Alternatively, a rooftop terrace atop several stories could be added to rival the functionality of an observation tower. A combination of indoor and outdoor spaces would give you lots of ventilation and places to lounge, and of course, a swimming pool on an upper level would give you maximum privacy as you cooled off on hot days.

“The building is oriented to take the full advantage of the sun’s position and perpendicular to the wind direction to maximize the wind [entering] the building, while the extensive use of glass openings allows natural cross-ventilation and maximizes [the amount of] natural light entering the building during the day. The building has been weatherized for maximum protection against the loss of warm and cool air by applying appropriate insulating materials and window glazing to reduce heat loss in ways that do not cause indoor humidity.”
A vertical circulation tower leads from the garage at street level up to the second floor, dropping visitors onto a sunny boardwalk that stretches across a reflecting pool. They then enter the villa’s main communal area, which contains the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Full-height glass wall...