![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_hero-852x479.jpg)
Studio Saxe transforms Costa Rican lodge into The Gilded Iguana surf resort
Costa Rican architecture firm Studio Saxe has expanded an existing residence with hotel rooms and a pool to create a new resort in the beach town of Nosara.
The lush property, now known as The Gilded Iguana, began with a single house built in 1988.
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_20-852x568.jpg)
San Jose-based Studio Saxe added a new 30-room hotel building, along with a spa, store and other amenities – including a swimming pool at the centre of the site – to create a resort that covers 57,479 square feet (5,340 square metres).
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_24-852x568.jpg)
The A-frame house originally had two rooms on the first floor, before four rooms added in the 1990s.
Its new owners, a surfer and his family, wanted to bring the building back to life, so Studio Saxe remodelled it into a restaurant for the hotel and created offices upstairs.
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x568.jpg)
"Together with the owners, we decided to restore and revitalise the existing dilapidated house structure as a tribute to the memory it holds for locals, travellers, and the town at large," said Studio Saxe. "Everything except the house is new."
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_2-852x568.jpg)
Hotel rooms are linked by outdoors steps and walkways around the new buildings, which have thatching over a series of small roof gables.
The roof design takes cues from local construction techniques, as well as the hand-made palm "palapas" that are commonly found on the beach for shade.
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_33-852x568.jpg)
Elements of the old house, with its simple wooden frame and balconies, are also referenced in the new hotel room building and reception area as well.
"The Gilded Iguana beach-house historic restoration is also one of the very few examples in Costa Rica that acknowledges the importance of preservation of traditional tropical architecture," the studio said.
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_18-852x568.jpg)
For interiors, natural materials like teak, palm and jute fabric are paired with concrete tiles to create a modern tropical touch.
Colour is introduced through geometric bathroom tiles, along with vibrant green in bedrooms and orange in the reception.
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_21-852x568.jpg)
Most of the bedrooms have private outdoor terraces – a characteristic of Studio Saxe's designs. Other examples by the firm are a hotel in the southern town of Santa Teresa with staggered, white guesthouses, and a contemporary villa with private porches from the upstairs bedrooms.
![Gilded Iguana Hotel by Studio Saxe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/06/gilded-iguana-hotel-studio-saxe-architecture-interiors-nosara-costa-rica_dezeen_2364_col_40-852x568.jpg)
"The studio carefully placed seating areas as well as water stations and surfboard racks along the entire property, which in turn provoke interaction amongst guests, and a more down-to-earth and authentic experience amongst travellers," said Studio Saxe.
The architecture studio has previously completed another hotel in the town of Nosara: a retreat with an open-air pavilion for practising yoga and working out.
Photography is by Andrés García Lachner.
Project credits:
Lead architect: Benjamin García Saxe
Project architects: Laura Morelli, Maribel Mora
Project team: Rogelio Quesada, Harold Solano
Interior design: Sofia Interiorismo
Hotel consultant: Consuhotel
Builder: LHC
Structural engineer: Sotela Alfaro Ltd
Electromechanical engineer: Dynamo Studio
Treatment plant: Tebag
Irrigation consultant: Hidroplant
Technology consultant: Access Point
Landscape: Zamia
Pool: Joan Roca