LEARNING FROM THE TROPICS: COSTA RICA The relationship between inside and out Ione Braddick
Living in the tropics: Costa Rica The relationship between inside and out Ione Braddick
This report aims to document the research and conclusions of a 20 day trip to Costa Rica, funded in part by the RIBA/ WCCA Travel Award and the Bartlett Travel Scholarship. I would like to extend my gratitude to the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. In particular I would like to thank Jaki Howes, Master of Students for the WCCA, and Tom Symonds from the RIBA for all their help and advice for both planning the trip and realising this report.
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION:
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INTENTIONS BRIEF HISTORY OF COSTA RICA LOCATION AND FOCUS TRIP ITINERARY TRAVEL ROUTE AND ITINERARY ACTUAL ROUTE AND TRANSPORT RESEARCH METHODS
8 10 12 14 16 18 20
RESEARCH:
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26 36 42 48 58 68 78
MONTEZUMA PUNTARENAS MONTEVERDE HEREDIA/ BARVA San José CARTAGO PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
89 90 92 94 96 98
CONCLUSIONS: TIMELESS ARCHITECTURE LIGHT GLASS AND CURTAINS FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES LEARNING FOR THE TROPICS Appendices: HOUSING PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY
101 102 104
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INTRODUCTION
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INTENTIONS
The aim of this trip was to investigate the relationship of the domestic architecture of Costa Rica, the traditional, the vernacular and the contemporary, with the tropical climate of the country. In order to do this I decided to narrow down my focus onto documenting and researching the openings (windows, doors and apertures) of the external face of the domestic architecture, through photographs, sketches and record sheets throughout the trip. I had hoped to research the way in which these openings have been adapted to suit the needs of the users of the building in dealing with the often harsh tropical weather. The external openings of a house offer an insight into the direct relationship of comfortable living space and tropical climate, with regard to cooling, ventilation, humidity, and shading.
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BRIEF HISTORY OF COSTA RICA In the pre-columbian era before the arrival of the Spanish colonials (pre-1502), Costa Rica had a number of small indigenous groups which existed in tribes throughout the country. The four main tribes that existed were the Caribs in the eastern region and the Borucas, the Chibchas and the Diquis in the west. However these were much smaller in size than those in neighbouring countries and some fled whilst the majority perished with the influx of smallpox that the Spanish brought to the area, so there is little left of the indigenous culture which existed before the arrival of Colombus and the Spanish colonisation. The first Spanish colony existed in 1524 in Villa Bruselas, and Costa Rica became a province of Guatamala under Spanish rule. However, the distance of the area from the seat of Spanish rule, the lack of gold and silver in the area, and the inability to trade with neighbouring Panama (which was of a different province) lead to the region being maintained in relative poverty and of little interest to the Spanish crown. The majority of the indigenous groups of the region were eradicated by the influx of smallpox brought by the Spanish colonials, this meant that there didn’t automatically exist an ‘under class’ to use as forced labour as there were in many other regions of the Spanish colonisation. Whilst this meant that there could never be large and extremely prosperous haciendas and slave owning families which again
kept the area in a poorer economical state than its neighbours, from this an agricultural economy and culture developed. With no oppressed classes and little interest shown in the region from the Spanish crown, a ‘rural democracy’ and peaceful egalitarian tradition arose. In 1821 Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. The first head of state was Jose Mora Fernandez, elected in 1824, and with land reforms and incentives he created a new Costa Rican elite, coffee barons, which quickly rose up in power to overthrow the first Costa Rican president. By 1889 the country held it’s first democratic elections, hailed as being the first ‘free and honest’ ones in its history. After these there was a relatively peaceful history throughout the 20th century. In 1948 an uprising lead by Jose Figueres Ferrer (image on far left) succeeded in ousting the leading United Social Christian Party. Shortly after becoming leader himself, Figueres abolished the Costa Rican military and banned the Communist Party, he also introduced many progressive reforms such as giving women the vote and granting full citizenship to black Costa Ricans, nationalising banks and limiting presidential terms.
To this day Costa Rica still remains a country with no armed forces, with little or no need to regret this move, and a level of both gender and racial equality which is far greater than many of the countries around it. It has a peaceful and prosperous recent history, currently being ruled by Figueres’ son, head of the Partido de Liberacion Nacional, Jose Maria Figueres. Whilst initially an agricultural economy, with many coffee plantations in the central valley and banana plantations in the Caribbean region, the current economy of Costa Rica exists around the three pillars of agriculture, technology and tourism. The rise of technology as a growing economy has taken place since the 1990s when the relatively cheap living costs along with political, economical and social stability attracted large high-tech companies to start exporting from Costa Rica. The growth of eco-tourism in the latter half of the 20th century, when Costa Rica’s national parks became federally protected and exporting coffee was looking less lucrative, lead to an extremely prosperous new economy in which Costa Rica leads the way in Central America. Costa Rica has become an apparent pioneer in sustainable development, providing a model where economic and environmental interests are complementary, and aiming to become the first carbon neutral country by 2014.
Left: Jose Figueres Ferrer, considered the father of modern Costa Rica. Right: A postcard set depicting coffee picking in Costa Rica from 1941.
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LONDON UK
SAN JOSE COSTA RICA 0째
LOCATION AND FOCUS
NICARAGUA
GUANACASTE
ALAJUELA
CARIBBEAN SEA
HEREDIA LIMÓN PUNTARENAS
SAN JOSÉ
CARTAGO
PUNTARENAS
PANAMA PACIFIC OCEAN
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TRIP ITINERARY Day 1-2: Arrive from London into at 20.45. Stay in San José. Explore Costa Rica’s capital city Day 3-5: Travel to Puntarenas by bus (3 hours) and then across the Nicoya Peninsula by ferry (1 hour), before catching a second bus to the coastal town of Montezuma (2 hours). Visit the Nicoya Peninsula, an area which comprised the bulk of the Guanacaste Province of Nicaragua before voting to secede and join Costa Rica. The peninsula is the domain of the sabanero, the equivalent of a cowboy in Central America, and offers a different style of vernacular to the Pacific coast- the town of Nicoya is based upon an indigenous Nicaraguan village plan. Day 6-7: Travel by bus to Central Pacific Region, Puntarenas Province to the town of Puntarenas (3 hours). Puntarenas was Costa Rica’s largest port prior to the mid-20th century and now remains off the tourist trail, instead a developing town where Tico families visit on the weekend. Visit San Ramon by bus (30 mins) , a small yet historically important colonial town in the Central Valley in the Alajuela province. The town was home to five former presidents and is has well maintained colonial architecture with an agricultural livelihood of coffee. Day 8-9: Travel by bus to Monteverde in the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range in the Northern Puntarenas province (3 hours). Visit the mountain towns of Santa Elena and the Monteverde Reserve, at 4600ft, and the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest, a major eco-tourism destination. Day 10-11: Travel by bus to the San José in the Central Valley of Costa Rica (5 1/2 hours), and use as a base for research of the area. Visit Heredia and Barva in the Heredia province to the north of San José. Heredia was a rich colonial city that has become the high-tech capital of Costa Rica since the late 90s but also remains a coffee-production centre, whilst also being home to the largest swathe of rainforest in the country, the Braulio Carrillo National Park. Barva is a small historic town near Heredia which dates from 1561 and has been declared a national monument. Day 12-13: Travel by bus to Cartago (1 hour) and use as base for research of the east of the Central Valley. The city of Cartago was founded in 1563 as the first Spanish settlement in the country and the capital of Costa Rica until 1823. The city sits at 4800 feet above sea level and so offers a cooler and drier climate than San José. Day 14-17: Travel to the Caribbean coastal region, Limon province (5 hours). Puerto Limon was a major banana port until recently and is the capital of Costa Rica’s AfroCaribbean culture. The Limon province is generally separated from the other Costa Rican provinces due to climate and culture, and federal funds are only just reaching this side of the country. This offers the opportunity to see a very recently developing Costa Rican city. Visit Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to the south of Puerto Limon. This costal town has vernacular Caribbean coastal architecture, palafitic wooden structures built for a traditional fishing culture, combined with some developing resort architecture. Visit Manzanillo, a fishing village just north of the Panama border, with restricted and ecologically-minded development. Day 18 -19: Return to San José by bus (6 hours) and explore the city. In the 60s the population of the city increased exponentially due to the post-war baby boom and this growth along with lack of regulated planning lead to an overdeveloped sprawling metropolis. As the most cosmopolitan capital in Central America the city offers many interesting research areas, including Barrio Amon and Barrio Otoya rich with dilapidated colonial buildings and mansions. Day 20: Depart from San José for London at 13.25.
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Day 1-2: Arrive in . Explore capital city of Costa Rica and its neighbourhoods. Day 3-5: North Puntarenas province. Visit the coastal town of Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula and surrounding areas.
MONTEVERDE
Day 6-7: Central Pacific region, Puntarenas province. Visit the port town of Puntarenas, and San Ramon. Day 8-9: Cordillera de Tilarán, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Puntarenas province. Visit the mountain towns of Santa Elena and Monteverde.
PUNTARENAS
Day 10-11: Central Valley region, San José province. Via the capital city of San José, visit the small towns of Heredia and Barva in the Heredia province. Day 12-13: Central Valley Region. Visit the city of Cartago. Day 14-17: Caribbean coastal region, Limon province. Visit the town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and the village of Manzanillo. Day 18-20: Return to San José . Explore capital city. Depart for London.
MONTEZUMA
TRAVEL ROUTE AND ITINERARY
BARVA HEREDIA SAN José CARTAGO
PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
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AEROPLANE COACH CHICKEN BUS CATCH A RIDE FERRY BICYCLE
ACTUAL ROUTE AND TRANSPORT
START HERE
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RESEARCH METHODS:
PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES AND RECORD SHEETS
Throughout the trip I recorded vernacular and contemporary housing through photographic studies, which focused on the front elevation of the house but also aimed to capture details of the materials, openings, and unique elements which could be found on the facade. Alongside these photographic studies I also used record sheets (see left) to note down information about the different houses, including any interesting features or conversations that I had regarding the buildings. Whilst it was occasionally hard to fill out record sheets whilst attempting to explain in Spanish the reason why I was photographing the houses, I found the sheets helped me ensure that I gained the necessary information about each one.
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RESEARCH METHODS:
PORTRAITURE AND INTERVIEWS
As well as photographic studies of houses, I also undertook a portrait series as a way of initiating conversations with locals and residents who I could then discuss the domestic architecture with in a more informal manner whilst taking their photograph. These portraits were crucial in helping me gain information about tropical architecture and living in the tropics, giving me plenty of opportunity to practice my spanish, and the chance to understand the real necessities and emotions behind tropical houses. People on the whole were very friendly and far more trusting and willing to talk about their lives and houses once they had been engaged through portraiture.
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RESEARCH: COSTA RICA AUGUST 2012
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MONTEZUMA
The small coastal village of Montezuma sits on the south of the Nicoya Peninsula, an area which comprised the bulk of the Guanacaste Province of Nicaragua before voting to secede and join Costa Rica. The peninsula is the domain of the sabanero, the equivalent of a cowboy in Central America, and offers a similar style of vernacular architecture to the Pacific coastal region, with some more colonial influences possibly from Nicaragua in materials and opening details. The southern Nicoya Peninsula gets more rain than the rest of the province, usually in the late afternoon between 4pm to 7pm, and light breezes due to its sheltered location on the peninsula. It has a fairly steady air temperature all year round with highs of 35째C and lows of 25째C, whilst the sea water temperature can reach up to 30째C.
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This 2-storey building has a large ventilation gap between the facade and the roof, drawing cross ventilation from the front to the back of the house, as well as allowing warm air to rise and escape from inside.
MONTEZUMA
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A gap above the external wall keeps the inside space ventilated even when shutters are closed. The ceramic bricks which create an opening, allow fresh air to enter whilst keeping out sunlight- and originate in typical Spanish colonial architecture.
MONTEZUMA
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In this large house a number of openings and apertures are used. A gap below the eaves allows cross ventilation, whilst a variety of openings including those using ceramic bricks and wooden slats avoid too much sunlight (and therefore heat) entering the house.
MONTEZUMA
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Here the patterned bricks are positioned high up on the outside wall for ventilation instead of a space existing between the eaves and walls. As light is deemed a hindrance due to the accompanying heat, there are no other windows, only the openings in the wooden doors. The building is made entirely of concrete, signifying it has been built more recently than its wooden neighbours.
MONTEZUMA
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PUNTARENAS
Puntarenas was Costa Rica’s largest and most significant port prior to the mid-20th century, transporting coffees to Europe, however it now remains off the tourist trail, having been usurped by the establishment of the railway to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and a more direct shipping route to Europe. Now it is sightly in decline as a slowly developing town where Tico families visit on the weekend due to it being the closest coastal town to San José. With industrial port history and its main use as a transport hub, the architecture of the town is maintained to a fairly modern standard but remains unexciting and simple. This central Pacific coastal town is warmer than the Central Valley, but more humid with daytime highs of 35°C and lows of only 30°C.
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Even though Puntarenas is a much larger town than Montezuma, it isn’t developing as a tourist destination, but more of a thoroughfare through to the Nicoya Peninsula. The houses remain low-lying, and many are made of wood, although in a better kept state than many in the smaller coastal towns. Here glass shutters replace wooden ones, indicating better resources, higher wealth of residents, and higher security needed.
PUNTARENAS
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The wooden house is constructed on top of a concrete commercial building (a local shop, with the owner living above). A large gap (600mm) ventilates the shop, whilst also cooling the house from below. Two large overhangs shade the balcony and house from the heat, especially necessary due to the raised building.
PUNTARENAS
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MONTEVERDE
Monteverde is in the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range in the Northern Puntarenas province (3 hours north of Puntarenas by bus). The mountain towns of Santa Elena and the Monteverde Reserve, lie at 4600ft above sea level and provide access to the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest, one of Costa Rica’s main eco-tourism destinations. In the mid-20th century Monteverde was founded by American Quakers avoiding American draft in the Korean war, choosing Monteverde for its cool, very humid climate suitable for dairy farming. The mean annual temperature is around 18°C, far cooler and with more mist and fog than the coastal regions and Central Valley due to it’s high location.
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This is an example of a comparatively large house, recently renovated due to the increase of tourist demand in the cool and picturesque town of Monteverde. It’s form is more similar to a typical colonial style house (3 storeys, large balconies, the use of dormer windows) but it also has typical wooden latticed shutters which can be seen in many more rural houses.
MONTEVERDE
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This wooden house has minimal openings with a small glazed window and a large garage at the back of the house. Whilst the owner claimed the house was more than 70 years old, it seems likely that it has recently been renovated, with glazing, new lights and new wooden slats. This ambiguity in houses ages was apparent all over Costa Rica, with many simply being worked and reworked on over many years.
MONTEVERDE
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HEREDIA/ BARVA
Heredia and Barva both lie in the Heredia province to the north of San José. Heredia was a rich colonial city that has become the hightech capital of Costa Rica since the late 90s but also remains a coffee-production centre. It is currently undergoing a rapid process of industrialisation, with microchips produced here becoming one of Costa Rica’s most important exports. Barva is a small historic town near Heredia which dates from 1561 and has been declared a national monument. The town centre consists of low lying 19th century buildings, but although some of the public buildings retain some colonial charm, houses in Barva reflect a more modern society. The climate is similar to that of San José, and the lowlands of the Central Valley, mild humidity and temperatures between 20°C to 25°C.
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In this small town, the urban nature of the housing became far more apparent. Security was stepped up a gear with far more security railings and bars surrounding houses. Shuttered glazing can be seen in three different varieties in this house- horizontal and vertical louvres and pull down shuttering.
HEREDIA
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This small detached one-storey house is similar in size, height and material to more rural houses. However it has a more prominent porch area than many of the typical costal houses, and both louvred and fixed glazed windows.
HEREDIA
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Barva is a smaller town with many more maintained colonial buildings than the nearby larger Heredia. Here an example of patterned colonial brickwork can be seen as the only opening on the entire street facade of the building.
BARVA
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Colour plays a huge role in Costa Rica housing, with many coming in a huge range of colours and finishes. Here, a typically low-lying onestorey house is painted bright pink, whilst keeping black security bars on all windows and doors, these often becoming decorative items themselves in front of louvred glass windows.
BARVA
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SAN JOsé
The capital city of San José lies in the heart of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. In the 50s and 60s the population of the city increased exponentially due to the post-war baby boom and this growth along with lack of architectural preservation of regulated planning lead to an overdeveloped sprawling metropolis. As the most cosmopolitan capital in Central America the city offers many distinct areas and neighbourhoods, including Barrio Amon and Barrio Otoya, rich with dilapidated colonial buildings and mansions. The city centre itself offers very few residential areas, instead mainly acting as a commercial and transportation hub. Temperatures in the city usually range between 17°C and 30°C, however the wet and dry season are both fairly mild in comparison to other areas of the country, due to the city’s 3700 feet elevation above sea level.
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The houses in San JosĂŠ change scale somewhat to those in the surrounding towns and coastal areas. There are far fewer detached houses, with most adjoined on at least one side, and nearly all 2 to 3-storeys. Here a more modern house uses patterned bricks for privacy, a decorative item rather than shading device.
SAN JOsé
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This large wooden colonial style house had a number of smaller windows on the upper storeys, whilst the ground floor consisted of a large porch space that ran the length of two sides of the house. This grander style of housing shares little with the wooden vernacular seen on the coasts and in more rural areas other than the main material building.
SAN JOsé
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With a number of different floors, and a mixed use ground floor (residential and commercial: a doctor’s practice) this wooden house has plenty of unusual elements, including a distinct lack of glass and diagonal slatted openings on the second storey, whilst the windows on the ground floor are secure with fixed glass.
SAN JOsé
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This 2-storey house is situated in the art district of San JosĂŠ, and similar wooden houses can be found nearby. It is unusual in its symmetry and distance from the street. Also unique is the circular opening at the top of the house; allowing warm air to escape from inside whilst being covered and shaded by the roof eaves.
SAN JOsé
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CARTAGO
Cartago lies in the east of the Central Valley, an hour away from San José . The city was founded in 1563 as the first Spanish settlement in the country and the capital of Costa Rica until 1823. It previously featured large amounts of colonial architecture from this period, however a volcano eruption and two earthquakes toppled these landmarks. The region around Cartago is still produces and exports coffee, with Cartago remaining a large commercial hub. After the 1910 earthquake the city was not rebuilt to its previous colonial specifications, instead the architecture now reflects the more modern commercial and residential function of the city. The city sits at 4700 feet above sea level at the base of the Irazú Volcano and so offers a cooler although cloudier climate than San José, with an average annual temperature of 19°C.
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This house was refurbished as recently as 3 years ago, and a more modern attitude to windows and glazing can be seen in the full height window on the first floor of the house. Although this has fixed panes of glass, other windows on the house show both top hung and louvred glass.
CARTAGO
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An older wooden house in the modern commercial city of Cartago sits in contrast to the newer concrete houses around it. This particularly overgrown residence is simple in size and shape and material, with a small porch and louvred glass standing it apart from more rural houses.
CARTAGO
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Many houses in more urban areas have an eclectic mix of window and opening types. Three different sizes of louvred glazed windows can be seen here, including full height, secure windows. However all have thin curtains behind them, implying that further privacy and shade is needed with these openings.
CARTAGO
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This mint green house has an unusual pebble render and large wooden porch providing shaded outdoor space. On the west side of the house small perforated concrete blocks allow ventilation and a small amount of light in and provide a very different type of opening to the glazed windows on the front of the house.
CARTAGO
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PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is in the south of the Caribbean coastal region, in Limon province, generally separated from the other Costa Rican provinces due to climate and culture, and federal funds are only just reaching this side of the country to initiate more modern growth in the city, offering the opportunity to see a far more slowly developing Costa Rican town. Puerto Viejo de Talamanca has vernacular Caribbean coastal architecture, palafitic wooden structures built for a traditional fishing culture, combined with some developing resort architecture. The nearby village of Manzanillo is just north of the Panama border, and has extremely restricted and ecologically-minded development. The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has it’s own microclimate, staying hot and humid with highs of 38°C all year round, with no real dry season.
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Houses in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca show the Caribbean influence that is so prevalent on this coast of Costa Rica. Almost all are wooden, and though often updated, nearly all retain the same style of shuttering, shading and often stilts. Here windows open with no glazing or security bars and ventilation openings are kept small and shaded to reduce the intense heat.
PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
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Diagonal slats at the top of the house helps cross ventilation and allows heat to escape, whilst rasing the house off the ground cools the house from underneath as well as providing protection from (frequent) tropical flooding. Openings are kept minimal to reduce the amount of light and heat that enters the house.
PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
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One of the simpler houses on the beach front in Puerto Viejo is constantly being updated, added to and modified by its owner. A large covered outdoor area alongside the house provides shade in the tropical heat. Here glazing (or acrylic) is placed behind wooden lattices, simply to provide security for the opening.
PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
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This concrete house shows that the changing style of housing in Puerto Viejo is in building material. Similar latticed wooden window shades, overhangs and space between the eaves and the facade can be seen here as in houses in both Puerto Viejo and Montezuma.
PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA
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CONCLUSIONS
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TIMELESS ARCHITECTURE
One of the main difficulties that I had in undertaking this research and coming to meaningful conclusions about the way in which the vernacular Costa Rican house influences its contemporary equivalent, was in assessing the build dates and ages of different houses I surveyed. It became clear after speaking to many residents (and in particular, Joan, right) that the method used for many houses, particularly in coastal areas, was “rebuild, then rebuild, then rebuild.” In this sense, discovering which houses were built first, which took precedence from others, and which were true ‘vernacular’ became a far more difficult task than I had conceived. This however did give me great insight into the concept of many of these houses; they weren’t status symbols to be upgraded, but were reworked in order to continue their primary function: shelter from the harsh tropical weather.
Joan, a local builder, at his house which used to belong to his grandmother.
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LIGHT
One of the most glaring conclusions, but unanticipated in my preconceptions of the trip, was the difference in attitude towards light, in particular within the house. In the overwhelming majority of the rural houses, great care was taken to avoid light entering the house, with large windows and openings reduced to collections of tiny slits of light through slatted or louvred wooden shades. The houses didn’t conform to the imagined tropical preconcept of blurring the boundaries between inside and out, but instead created a cool, dark interior, closed off from the heat and light of outside. Housing, and indeed architecture generally, in tropical countries such as Costa Rica must be viewed in an entirely different way than in Europe or North America, especially in regards to light. Concepts of architectural design, such as those of daylighting, which are often considered and taught as universally true, must be re-evaluated when considering tropical design.
Sun shading and latticed window cover in Puntarenas.
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GLASS AND CURTAINS
Following on from the consideration of light as a limitation, the role of glass in domestic architecture in Costa Rica must also be contemplated. Glass, through its material qualities, allows light to enter a room, whilst obstructing more physical elements such as cool air, from entering. In doing this glass can be seen as more of a hindrance to the Costa Rican house than a help. The majority of ‘vernacular’ houses avoid glass where possible, disregarding it due to it’s amplification of light and heat. Where it was used it was simply “for security against thieves”, Marcos, a father of two, told me; an additional layer of protection for the house. Other than for security purposes it would appear that glass bears very little use in architecture and society here- not a wealth or status show, simply an extra layer of facade. Where it is used in the towns and cities, and typical vernacular detailing such as slats and shades are avoided, the residents of the houses run into difficulty. With too much tropical sun entering the house, curtains are used on every window, the glass becoming superfluous and inhibiting.
Louvred glass windows with curtains behind and security bars in front in Barva.
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FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES Despite the fact that it was hard to see contemporary Costa Rican housing taking note of its vernacular origins in regards to ventilation, shading, light, glass and materiality, it would seem that Costa Rica as a country does have far more scope for this to happen in the future. This is because of the driving force of tourism in Costa Rica, making up 67% of the country’s economy. The current drive to be the eco-tourism destination of the world, its desire to become carbon neutral by 2014, and its capacity for eco-architecture, could and should lead to a far greater interest in its vernacular way of building houses. With tourists visiting to stay in eco-lodges, and treehouse hostels, it would seem there would be benefits of building new houses in the vernacular style, eschewing glazing and air-conditioning and instead focusing on reinserting vernacular details that are being lost. However, it is hard to tell whether this would go further than just tourist accommodation to infiltrate back into local urban housing and its design and build, but it at least these possibilities can be initiated by the driving force of the economy.
A new-build house in Monteverde, with potential for vernacular openings.
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LEARNING FOR THE TROPICS The aim of this trip was not simply to research Costa Rica housing, but to learn and pass on to others some key ideas about living, designing and building in the tropics. My latest design project is focused on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The concepts which I learnt from my research and interviews in Costa Rica are similarly relevant in Brazil- the tropical climate remains absolutely fundamental to the design and maintenance of architecture, crucial if the Olympic Games are to feel like ‘Rio’s Games’. The layering of architecture over time, amalgamating the vernacular and the contemporary, can also be seen in the favela housing of Brazil. The 2016 Olympics will be the first to be held in a tropical country, indicating a huge shift in architect and designers’ attention to the developing world, much of which has a tropical climate. I think it is crucial to gain experience and knowledge of life and design in tropical countries as these will be the focus of a new generation of architectural projects, and in order to take part, we as architects need to educate ourselves and learn from the tropics. Again I would like the thank the WCCA, the RIBA and the Bartlett School of Architecture for allowing me to do this.
Rocinha favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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APPENDICES
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APPENDIX 1:
HOUSING PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY
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APPENDIX 2:
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY
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