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.