With wellness and efficiency at the heart of its design, Costa Rica Central Bank's office represents a symbiotic relationship between its site, users and place in the capital city of San José.

Lacayo Arquitectos have realized the design of the Costa Rica Central Bank offices located in San José, Costa Rica.

The Costa Rican Central Bank Intendencies, in charge of supervising the Country’s financial system, occupied several buildings across San José’s metropolitan and suburban areas. Looking for shorter displacement times and more accessibility to services for their members, and aiming for a more compact city, a single building project in the heart of our capital city was the logical solution.

Due to the location adjacent to the city’s longest river, the main goal was to establish a reciprocal relationship with the site, that would support the wellness and efficiency of the building and its users.

To achieve this, the first strategy was the horizontal emplacement of the volumes, that allowed more area per level, making the most the visuals and the natural light. The second strategy was the programmatic distribution, by strictly placing all the parking spaces in the basements, more area could be utilized for greenery, outdoor and public spaces.

The intention of reciprocity is perpetuated to the interior of the building by the selection of biophilic finishes and materials: exposed concrete, wood panels, and carpets that emulate greenery, blur the barriers between interior and exterior; and are congruent to a simple and timeless look and feel according of the institution’s culture.

In addition, the well being of the users is supported by sustainability alignments and additional amenities that will accomplish a LEED Gold certification. Part of this amenities include trails and a bike track that run parallel to the river, and benefits not only the end users, but the whole community.

Design: Lacayo Arquitectos

Design Team: Ramon Rappaccioli, Jose Francisco Chavarria, Juan Manuel Ureña, Raquel Brenes, Daniela Solis

Photography: Andres Garcia Lachner

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