Riverside Market Project,San Isidro de Heredia,Costa Rica

摘要

During 2011 a client came seeking assistance for the development of a roadside property located on the main highway to the Caribbean Coast from Costa Rica’s capital San José;he had in mind a barbecue restaurant for truckers and road users,but was challenged to ponder on pursuing a truly sustainable and inclusive approach for his project.A living and evolving micro-urban system inspired in permaculture was proposed.After the initial conversations,the owner went on to study sustainable production practices,bio-intensive agriculture,wood construction and related topics.He came back on 2013 and the first phase was finally built in 2015.It all was to start as a small roadside café,with the eventual establishment of an organic marketplace.Significant portions of old walls and floors remaining on site,as fragments of a formerly burned down building,were salvaged/recycled and utilized in combination with new light wood structures,minimally touching the ground yet maximizing space quality and use.The small cafe quickly turned into a lively and successful brick-oven pizza place and gastro-pub with current plans to expand into the diversified organic marketplace once imagined.Key sustainable building features include the salvaging of existing structures and floors,the use of reforestation wood(teak,melina)processed on site,and the implementation of passive tropical design strategies.The project has its own organic orchard and composting systems and priority is given to locally sourced produce and products.Electrical energy expenditure is minimized by traditional wood cooking methods.The venue has positively influenced and contributed to the local community and the sustainable/organic culture of our small green country.It all combines together to create a business model based on sustenance,learning and information exchange,adding up to much more than the sum of its parts.