Lapas Valley

Two heights tell the whole story. Three to five levels are allowed only in the Community and Knowledge District. Everywhere else the valley stays at one to two levels, below the tree line. The study takes the retail building and strips it back to pure volume.

At nine degrees north the sun passes almost straight overhead, so facades take less heat than roofs do. Deep overhangs, covered terraces and the afternoon Pacific breeze do the cooling before machines have to.

Hardwood, stained timber, dry stone, raw concrete, and dark seam metal, with the jungle as the constant. The palette adapts the architecture to Costa Rica instead of importing a foreign one.

Narrow shared lanes, planted verges, and a generous green setback before the first built wall. The section keeps cars slow, shades the walk, and puts jungle between every home and the road. Dimensions are indicative, from the conceptual studies.