Cool and spacious cavelike condos dug out of a jungle hillside are emblematic of a Costa Rican city that combines sustainable design and a healthy quality of life. Alouatta has 16 "green house" residences with individually titled, freehold lots, some as large as a half acre.

The development is located in Costa Rica, a visionary country with a high percentage of land that has been set aside in protected areas to protect its biodiversity.

Architects have engineered a city of freehold residences and condo clusters in the jungle. The designs demonstrate that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable in the midst of large tracts of native vegetation that allow for riparian protection areas.

Much of the power for the development will be generated onsite, and the designs use a combination of natural light and innovative strategies to conserve power and thermal energy. The developers have applied for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification based on the site's water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental air quality.

Alouatta also accommodates eco-tourists within this small-footprint settlement. The local community benefits from financing and volunteers to help with local conservation efforts. With viable, environmentally friendly alternatives to logging and farming at hand, the local economy can justify wildlife and habitat preservation.