Local practice · Código Sísmico de Costa Rica
We build the way this country builds — because it lasts.
A home here has to stand up to earthquakes, a green season that arrives sideways,
and termites that never sleep. We don't design around those realities — we build
with the local methods worked out against them, so your home is still beautiful
decades from now. The full technical story lives on our how-we-build page.
Reinforced concrete · CSCR-2010
Reinforced concrete block and beam
The dominant structural system in Costa Rica, and for good reason. A steel-reinforced cage is tied on site, filled with concrete and closed with concrete block, producing a monolithic frame that resists both seismic movement and the humidity and pest pressure that destroy lighter systems. Every column, beam and bond course is sized against the Código Sísmico de Costa Rica for the zone the lot sits in.
- Steel cage tied and inspected before any pour
- Column and ring-beam spacing set by seismic zone, not by convention
- Continuous load path from ring beam to foundation
- Impervious to termites and dimensionally stable in high humidity
Galvanized frame · DensGlass
Light-gauge steel framing
An increasingly common alternative, particularly on hillside and coastal lots where reducing dead load matters. Galvanized light-gauge steel is light, ductile under seismic load and completely uninteresting to termites. Paired with a waterproof sheathing such as DensGlass, it builds faster than block and puts far less weight on a difficult foundation.
- Flexes rather than cracks under seismic movement
- Substantially lighter than masonry on steep or poor-bearing sites
- Immune to termite attack and rot
- Faster envelope closure, which matters in the green season
Treated hardwood · Bamboo · CEB
Treated timber and natural materials
Wood is native to how Costa Rica builds, but it demands rigorous treatment against termites and rot to survive here. On eco-conscious and rural projects — the Osa Peninsula especially — we work with sustainable natural systems including guadua bamboo, cob and compressed earth block, always paired with an engineered structural strategy rather than used decoratively.
- Pressure or borate treatment on all sapwood-bearing members
- Detailing that keeps timber out of ground contact and standing water
- Guadua bamboo, cob and compressed earth block where the site suits them
- Legal-harvest documentation for every species used
Passive cooling · Rain protection
Tropical climate adaptation
Costa Rican design does not solve for cold. It solves for keeping a house cool and dry. Deep roof overhangs push driving rain off the walls, raised foundations break the path of ground moisture, and cross-ventilation is designed into the section so the house is comfortable with the air conditioning off. Get these right and the mechanical systems become a supplement rather than a dependency.
- Deep overhangs sized against the driving-rain angle
- Raised foundations and drainage that moves water away fast
- Stack and cross-ventilation designed into the building section
- Orientation set against the afternoon sun before massing is fixed
Open plan · Covered terrace
Indoor-outdoor living
The reason people build here in the first place. Open-air layouts, large sliding glass systems and generous covered terraces let the house dissolve into its setting. The engineering behind that openness is unglamorous — long spans, hardware rated for salt air, and a roof that keeps a wide-open wall dry in a September downpour — but it is what makes the move possible.
- Large-format sliding and pocketing glass systems
- Covered terraces sized as real rooms, not leftover margin
- Long structural spans engineered to keep openings uninterrupted
- Marine-grade hardware wherever the property faces salt air
