Landscape Retail Costa Rica
Landscape Retail Costa Rica
Peterson Rich Office was asked to contribute some fresh ideas to an existing masterplan scheme for a mixed use district that will include 15,000 square meters of retail space, 12,000 square meters of commercial space, and more than 150 residential units. The site is within one of the last large well-preserved landscapes in a suburb of San Jose, Costa Rica, particularly distinct for several large native Guanacaste Trees. We asked whether the new district could be both a shopping and a landscape destination. Our work began with a basic summary of the existing scheme and a retail precedent analysis, which led to two concept schemes.
Our goals were as follows:1. Create a new mixed use destination, particularly for children and young people, 2. Shape useful, active green space, 3. Draw auto traffic into the site with "teaser parking," 4. Maximize retail frontage, 5. Create buildings that defer to the natural landscape.