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.