Sunset Bar at Bambu Indah

Maloca is IBUKU's first work in Costa Rica, designed with LOOP Design Studio for Tierramor, a wellness retreat in Guanacaste dedicated to land healing and conscious living. This 12-meter-high, 120-square-meter yoga, meditation, and ceremonial pavilion draws inspiration from indigenous structures and the surrounding wave-like mountains, rolling hills, and a protected hilltop tree. Built from locally sourced bamboo and natural materials, the project fostered knowledge exchange, training local carpenters in bamboo craftsmanship and transforming unfamiliarity into confident skill. Maloca proves bamboo architecture can cross oceans, not as a product but as a shared craft, connecting people, material and land.

From the very beginning, we knew the magnificent tree atop the hill should remain the defining feature of the landscape. To honor its presence rather than compete with it, Maloca was positioned slightly lower, taking the form of a monolithic cone influenced by the traditional indigenous building type of Costa Rica. As visitors approach, the sweeping shingle roof appears to emerge from the rolling hills, its texture echoing the contours of the horizon. Stone and earth steps ascend toward a foundation of natural stone masonry, grounding the building like a protective shell rising from the land.

Circulation paths encourage exploration, guiding visitors through different entry points and shifting perspectives before entering through a dense forest of bamboo columns resting on smooth rounded stones, where golden poles frame panoramic views of the green hills beyond. Conceived as an organic extension of the landscape, the pavilion stands in symbiosis with both nature and the human body. Its open floor plan transforms effortlessly, accommodating intimate gatherings as naturally as larger events and ecstatic dance sessions.

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