Month: February 2020

Location: Playa Grande, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Project Year: 2016
Area: 2,315.0 sq ft
Photographer: Andres Garcia Lachner

Tropik Works, the first off-grid residence in Costa Rica, was born out of the investigation of a new way of life rather than a traditional architectonic response. In wanting to establish a balance with the environment, we reimagined the concept of housing, creating an adaptable and malleable solution that grows with time in harmony with nature. We firmly believe that the consumption of renewable energies promotes technological development, as part of the new efficient economic model that is established as an engine of growth and employment. At the same time, these renewable energies are part of the vision promoted by our country to become carbon neutral by the year 2021. If we consider that construction is one of the primary contributors of CO2 emissions, we are forced to assume this challenge and establish the parameters for a new sustainable development. 

Everything is planned to take only what is necessary, through passive systems that are adapted to different configurations and to each of the living areas present in our country. We have based ourselves on three fundamental principles: efficiency, double functionality and maintaining a closed cycle, where each of these principles is materialized in the architecture. 

Efficiency is established through a prefabricated system that is later put together on site. This allows shortened execution times and reduces the cost of construction, as well as the direct impact over the terrain. The double functionality is reached as the architecture is conceived to fulfill and resolve a specific climatic parameter. Maintaining a closed cycle is achieved through the reutilization of resources, energy, water and food, that are integrated to each other through an organizational system that revolves around an elevated central patio, defining the unit as a living component that breathes from its interior. This organizational system at the same time allows a double relation with nature, since the inhabitable spaces are contained within a natural space. 

The crossed ventilation, prefabrication, the extraction and induction system which passively takes advantage of the air currents and thermal differences, the reutilization of water for food production and the solar radiation protection, as well as the captured energy stored in a comprehensive system of solar panels strategically positioned to take advantage of energetic performance, are part of the basic strategies which allow us to be an independent, 100% sustainable off-grid system. 

Location: Barrio Escalante, San José, Costa Rica
Year: 2016
Area: 966 m2

Lolita is an urban food court located in Barrio Escalante, one of Costa Rica’s most visited and relevant culinary locations. Previously an upscale neighborhood, Barrio Escalante has become a hotspot for locals and tourists alike, resulting in high pedestrian traffic and an active social scene. The area also hosts several public transportation nodes such as bus stops, a train station and urban bike rentals.

The site is made up of two properties with a historical building between them. Because of it’s irregular geometry, spaces are arranged using the same program scheme so as to maintain an order.  Historic and newly built architecture remains in the front, whereas the common and natural areas are located in the back. In doing so, passersby get a clear view of the dining options and are invited to discover the green social areas within.

A framed volume with the same height as neighboring buildings serves as the main entrance to the project. It simultaneously provides shading and creates a tunnel to enable cross ventilation to occur. Eateries are layed out on the sides of the frame whilst circulation and dining areas are set on the central space.  As users navigate the project they are led to varying social areas where activities such as live music, open air theatre and temporary marketplaces take place.

The materials and color palette used are based on existing ones found throughout Barrio Escalante so as to integrate the project to its environment. In addition, the varying vegetation, furniture arrangement  and murals within the interior areas create dynamic spaces that change seasonally.

Location: Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica
Year: 2017
Area: 70,608 m2

La Caraña is an equestrian facility located in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. It has been operating since 1969, when it became the country’s first equestrian club.

The site has two main entries. The first one acts as the general entry point for club members and is located in the northern side of the property. It connects with Ruta 27, one of the country’s busiest highways. The second entry is located near a residential area in the southern side of the property.

For the proposal, activities carried out within La Caraña are classified into three groups: equestrian, club and commercial. Sub-categories within these groups are organized and spatial relationships are established. Once the program is set, the existing building structures are studied to determine which are maintained and which are re-built or moved to another location.

Each of the three main blocks are assigned an area in the corners of the site. The central area of the property remains as common space. Clusters, bands and nodes are used to create relationships between architectural elements, circulation and green areas. In doing so, a series of circuits are created so that users may navigate the project freely. Articulating nodes connect these circuits and integrate all of the project’s programs.

Location: Playa Hermosa, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Year: 2017
Area: 2,631 m2

Hermosa Salvaje is a residential housing project situated in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Located in the country’s central pacific coast, Playa Hermosa draws it’s popularity from surfing and tourism. It has a flourishing beach town spanning a portion of the coastline and small residential areas scattered throughout.

The site consists of a 2631m2 slope with a road and access point in the western side. It has panoramic views towards the natural landscape on all sides and is located a 5 minute drive away from the beach. Existing perimeter trees remain on the site to grant more privacy to the central area and offer canopy views to the apartments. The social areas and pool are positioned in the eastern side of the project and can be accessed by foot.

The project is made up of 5 buildings, each holding 2 mirrored apartments. All apartments have 2 bedrooms, a living room/dining area, terrace and a studio located on opposite ends of the building to offer more privacy. The kitchen, bathrooms and vertical circulation are centralized so as to have a core for most of the plumbing and electrical wiring.

Materials used include concrete and metal for structural elements, and wood and glass panels for exterior facades and parasols. Passive climate control strategies such as using far-reaching overhangs, cross-ventilation and natural shading are implemented in the project, and solar panels reduce operation costs and save energy.

Location: Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica 
Year: 2019
Area: 1,452 m2

Villaflor is a residential project in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. Santa Ana is a suburb of the capital city of San José. The area offers a combination of traditional Costa Rican culture and modern residential and commercial developments.

The site has a mild slope with the lowest part of the terrain located at the entrance in the northern edge and the highest point in the southern edge. It holds 2 existing houses situated in the northern sector of the property. The lot starts with a narrow strip of land and widens at the middle. The southern sector of the site is almost double the size of the northern one.

The project consists of 2 identical duplexes positioned in different levels. In the first floor, a central, load baring wall divides each duplex and precedes a courtyard for each residence. Service rooms are coupled together and positioned in the central area of each apartment. Common spaces such as the kitchen and living room are laid out facing north towards the terraces and garden. The upper level holds 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a TV room. Residences do not share a wall in the second floor so as to offer more privacy.

The material palette combines brickwork, concrete, glass and stone masonry for exterior facades and wood and concrete for the interiors. A wooden pergola structure leads the pathway towards the front entrances of each residence. Wooden and metallic louvers are also used as parasols.

Location: Jardín de Dota, San José, Costa Rica
Year: 2015
Area: 124 m2
Interior Designer: Diseño Cinco
Photographer: Andrés García Lachner

The EFC cabin, a respectful intervention, is situated in the context of the cold and foggy mountains of Dota, over a hill surrounded by a small forest of oak trees that make up the scenery for this dichotomous project. 

The visuals, the landscape, orientation, winds and access points were key for the distribution of the program. 

EFC is an answer to the study of the stereotomy and the tectonic. The project involves a central volume equipped with all the serving spaces required for the adequate functioning of a home: kitchen, bathrooms and laundry room. That is, there are a series of wet spaces focused in the nucleus of the cabin, in such a way that there is efficient use of the resources and installations, and the space for the served areas is liberated. Here the outdoors are integrated with the indoors, being merged together and becoming one. It arises as a stereotomic mass, solid, rocklike, heavy and monolithic that sets itself above ground as if it was born out of it: a continuous, monolithic system that is perforated and sculpted to allow light in the space and its habitability. 

Next to this volume, the served spaces, living, dining and bedrooms, are directed to both sides in such a way that they open on one face to the valley and mountains and in the opposite direction to the oak forest. The interior/exterior relationship makes the environment the main protagonist of the space. It is projected as a tectonic architecture, meaning of assembly, open and light. It is an architecture articulated between pieces of radiata pine wood, plywood and metallic structures that look for support and cling to the mass, a combination of materials that bring warmth to the space within an already cold context. 

It is a frigid environment that generates a harmonious contrast between the cold and the warm, the stereotomic and the tectonic, the natural and the man-made, the serving and served spaces to be discovered, inhabited, experimented and lived in by the user. 

Location: Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Year: 2017
Area: 17,200 m2

The Convention Center is an avant-garde project with completely flexible spaces that allow different configurations according to the user’s requirements in an environment of analogies that allows us to reflect on the history of creation and nature. It uses biblical symbols and natural elements to remind the user of God’s promises. In addition, it is a self-sufficient project, reusing water and producing its own energy, a strategy that goes hand in hand with our Costa Rica’s vision of becoming carbon neutral by 2021.

VOID’s commitment to sustainability will be noted at this facility. This Convention Center will be able to generate its own electrical energy through solar panels. Hot water will be obtained through the radiation of the sun in the form of heat, rainwater will be collected, while gray water will be treated naturally and reused both in the same system and for irrigation. The materials used will be mostly natural, local and 100% recyclable, while automated systems that save energy and lower consumption will be implemented throughout the entire project.

Today’s demands for technology have brought design to a higher standard. With the country’s largest movable wall installation, operators will be able to offer a wide range of space configurations, allowing the staging of diverse activities and events.

Visitors approach the building through a series of organically landscaped terraces adapted to the topography that reveal an architecture that offers moments of contemplation and emotion. A meandering lagoon that accompanies the route is noticeable. It’s purpose, apart from giving freshness to the environment in a natural way, goes further, since it collects and retains rainwater as a control mechanism for venting and reuse.

On the rock and through a series of staircases that in turn function as small amphitheatres, the CC building emerges as a symbolism of the construction on the firm rock of the Bible. To go up to the main level, you must go through a corridor whose cover is a mirror of water, this symbolizes baptism. As we cross the corridor, we emerge as new people to the great lobby, a triple-height open space where we can appreciate a veneered wall with the figure of the Star of David, two triangles that represent the intimate relationship that exists between God and humanity. Here we can see 17 columns. These represent the 17th day of the seventh month, the day that Noah’s ark reached Mount Arafat, reemerging after baptism in a high place, reminding us of the grace of God.

Location:  Granadilla, San José, Costa Rica
Year: 2015
Area: 22,472 m2

Equilibrium is a vertical housing building located in the district of Granadilla, Costa Rica. It is part of Curridabat, one of the country’s most devolved areas due to it’s high population density and thriving commerce, making it attractive for real estate developers.

The site has a semiregular geometry, occupying the northwest corner of the block it is located on. It adjoins with a public park on the southern side, a secondary road on the western side and a national road on the northern side. The front and lateral setbacks are used as green buffer zones to create a plaza. Common and green areas for the apartments remain at the southern sector of the property facing the park.

At street level, the project’s first floor constitutes a commercial block facing the main road and plaza (north) and a block with common and service areas for residents facing south. The building’s vertical circulation is set at it’s center with different types of apartment typologies coupled on each side. Using this scheme, the building’s footprint stands at 54% of the site’s total area, with the remaining 46% being green areas.

Structural beams on the front and back facade are used as anchoring points for a green wall spanning all of the building’s height to keep interior spaces cool. A combination of exposed concrete, corten steel and glass is used for exteriors, with white volumes framing each apartment block.