Just back from New York City. Actually, got back a little after midnight on Saturday night.

I cannot sleep in New York. I lived there for years, and yes, I did fall asleep on occasion, but in general, the place is so loud, and so busy and vibrating all the time between the trains, the garbage trucks, the cars, the pets, the people, the music, that I always have had a hard time falling, and staying, asleep in Manhattan. This was again the case when I went to New York Friday night for my Saturday morning meeting with Guillermo. I met W at a birthday party for her friend Shilpa and stayed on a pull out at Shilpa's apartment. While the New Yorkers slept soundly, I starred at the ceiling. So it was through bleary eyes that I fought the 6 train down to Guillermo's office on 19th just above union square.

Guillermo was waiting in the lobby when we arrived. He and I have been emailing since 2004, just under 3 years, but had never met before. He took me up to ground zero of Datum zero. [editor's note: I apologize for the lameness of the last line. I wanted to write it. now I feel kind of dirty, but still kind of proud of myself. It will not happen again].

Datum Zero is a white washed loft space on the ninth floor about midtown in NYC. It is light, and open and full of energy. Guillermo was joined by his partner, Sandra, who i learned is collaborating on the project. And I am glad. While Guillermo brings an infectious passion and zealous energy to the project, Sandra offers a focusing and pragmatic energy. The two are great together, they feed off each other and compliment each other's styles.

First order of business was a tour around the office. On the walls and on flat surfaces were the models and prototypes of the buildings with which I have become familiar as part of DatumZero's portfolio. G house, M house, Achio house, others. They were in tiny forms, and then larger. It was really amazing how true to the models the final forms remain.

There were materials in places that were being tested, considered, or adopted. I have been surprisingly interested in the materiality considerations of building. I saw a cut of the translucent panels that give achio house a huge glowing ceiling. It was surprisingly light.

We sat down together, Guillermo Sandra, W and I, and started immediately on discussing architecture. Strange, now that I think of it, how eager we all were to jump right into the project. And strange too how I feel like I know them as well as people with whom I might have spent the same time commuting the ordinary conversational traffic. But it seemed like everyone was excited by the project, and we energetically began the discussions.

Guillermo first showed me the counter models he had done on a sophisticated computer program. The software allowed him to print color images of the land from any angle or vantage point and showed changes in elevation at meter intervals. The land, at the road, declined more aggressively than I had remembered. It dropped some 30 feet in very little distance. The land sloped less quickly at the western boundary, making a bit of a ridge. There was also an incline in the eastern side of the property, over the area where the intermittent creek flows. Everything sloped down down down into the national Forrest which is my norther boundary.

The model was to scale, and computer generated images of a man gave you an idea what it would be like to walk the land.

What it did not give you was an idea of the view from the house. And to me, the view was the most important thing. We had had the land cleaned of larger trees, and Guillermo had taken images of the land from many different angles. It was interesting to see it again. I could see the blue of the pacific off in the distance.

Guillermo had an interesting observation...from my land, the beaches drop away to the north, and the ideal orientation, in terms of exposure, might not be due west, but North west. This would face me toward Playa Pelada, and the rocky shore south of Ostional. My initial impression is what I told him: that I would prefer to face west. Due west. This would allow me to watch the sunsets, and to take advantage of the trade winds, and, of course, to see the surf building on playa guillones. But he has a point. From his proposed orientation, the land drops away, and it might be that I inherit a view of the coast line stretching out into the distance.

There were two proposals. Guillermo and Sandra termed them the "Compact" and "Organic" models. I will preserve the nomenclature.

The Organic model is a long ranch type house, made up of 5 modules, of equal size and volume. Under the first volume lies the master bedroom. The first module is the kitchen, sheathed in concrete, perhaps with a flat roof. The next module is a breezeway, an open air, but covered portion of the house which would become an entry way, a porch and a plaza all in one. Beyond that the living room. By opening doors, the first three modules are largely one room.

Beyond those modules are two modules divided up into bedroom/work spaces and bathrooms. each bedroom has a wall of glass, and has an open axis when the door is open, allowing complete open space from east to went through the house if desired. The roof was interesting, varied in length, but emanating from a single common rafter, if you will.

The advantages, as I see them, to this model are:

• the flexibility of the space: bedrooms become work spaces, become open air if desired. If it is just me there, I could convert the space into a one bedroom with offices and libraries.
• The bed rooms are on different levels. This might give guests a whole floor of their own.
• Bedrooms on the top level- gives them the same view as the living room
• Airiness: there is a hall way which is rock and light, with openings on both sides.
• smaller imprint: the foundation will be small and displace less soil leading to lower costs and to lower environmental impact.
• Cooling: air can pass under more of this model, allowing for cooling.
• Perhaps I can close off the master bedroom if I rent it.

The disadvantages of the model as I see them:

• bedrooms on the top floor haven't a roof. This will mean that any light sleepers will hear everything going on in the living room, which will probably be the primary hang out area.
• bedrooms on the top floor have panels and not solid doors: again, noise.
• Roof has a center beam, meaning that it will descend toward the view.
• Stability: there is a lot of water in CR. With a huge roof creating additional, focused, runoff, and the loss of the vegetation that was under my house, will there be erosion problems? In 10 years, is my house going to settle? The organic model is balanced on one end, on two beams. How stable is this going to be? Is there seismic activity in the area? In short, how stable is this house?
• Longer: If the orientation changes, the far end of the house might be 30-40 feet off the ground.
• Loss of some of the features of the Compact model that I will discuss below

I will say now that everyone that I have shown the proposals, so far, prefer the organic model. They compliment its openness. The more I think of that feature, the more I like it. When I contacted Guillermo about the project, I told him that the house was about the view, and it was about Costa Rica. It was not to draw attention to itself. And that is what he gave me. First, I would like to say how amazing an experience it has been having your adjectives turned into blue prints, translated into form, and second, I have been appreciating more and more how this is exactly what Guillermo and Sandra created: a reverse jewelery box- where the outside is showcased. For sure, this model will allow green Costa Rica to stream in from every vantage point, and offer several different perspectives on it. This is, I think, what I like best about this approach. It brings the outdoors in. It blurs the line between nature and house. It invites the occupants to feel part of their environment.

The Compact model: This one initially struck me. It is also a long house, but with tow floors, though the entry level is the top floor. It pivots from a strong, thick wall, which is the backbone of both floors of the house. The roof is a single rise, without a center beam. It projects up and outward from the wall, telescoping toward the view. The same breeze way, kitchen living room model is created as before in the Organic model, but this time, the living room glass is a sliding panel, and the entire front of the top floor is a boardwalk. I like that. I like that from the top floor, you can be outside, and enjoying the view of the beach. I like that one can walk along the top floor, and pass by the rooms, looking in. There are only two openings on the street side, as compared with 3 or 4 in the organic model, and no windows on the ends.

The second floor contains the master bed, and two bedrooms. The bathrooms on this floor have doors that open to the out of doors- making for an outdoor shower/bath experience. The master bedroom retains a porch.

This is a more simple, solid approach. The entire front of the building opens up to the view, with large glass sliding walls. I like that. The entire movement is a salute to the sun, and to the beach. The compact house has a much smaller signature from the street. It is grounded, and the bedrooms have the cool solidity of earth on one side- giving them coolness, and darkness, while the other side is glass.

The advantages to this model are:

• Small signature: from the street, this house is nearly invisible, except for the roof.
• single direction roof: this makes the house crescendo to the beach. It may also be simpler for care, repair, and replacement. There is also a larger view on the ocean side than in the organic model.
• shorter: this makes it easier to move on the site, and less prone to drop offs. It might make it less vulnerable to environmental interactions.
• Grounded: the heavy wall and earthwork makes this house feel solid- where the organic model feels so open. Different feels.
• Sleeping: dedicated sleeping lower floor means guest rooms will have roofs and doors. There will be quiet when people want to sleep, but others want to disfrute la pura vida. Since I am a light sleeper, this is meaningful to me
• Indoor, outdoor showers. Nice touch.
• Easier to secure.

Disadvantages, as I see them:

• Darker
• Heavier
• More earth movement and cutting into the soil. Environmental impacts and costs.
• Less...special, I guess.
• No carport.
• bedrooms haven't a view of the beach.
• Lack of flexibility in living space.
• Maybe it is not easier to secure, with more surface area on the ground.

This was my immediate favorite, probably because it looked like images I had in my mind. I recognized it. But the more I think of it, the more I straddle the fence and even lean the other way. I like the bold puncturing movement by the breezeway in the organic model, and its embrace of the out of doors.

I will write more later discussing my input, what Guillermo and Sandra did with it, meditation spaces, and time table as well as general impressions, but for now, I wanted to describe the meeting and the proposals, for your consumption. I welcome your comments.