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Hacienda la Garza

This is a project by Urban-Think Tank and it is located at Apure, Venezuela. Project's program: Eco-tourist complex comprising 4 guest houses, restaurant and services. There are five images for Hacienda la Garza.

: © Urban-Think Tank

Project details

Project name: Hacienda la Garza
Location: Apure, Venezuela
Program: Eco-tourist complex comprising 4 guest houses, restaurant and services
Year: Completion: 2002
Client: Diana Langes-Swarovski
Project by: Urban-Think Tank

Project images

Designer's statement

For the Hacienda la Garza project, we aided in the development of an eco-tourist complex in the heart of the Amazon. The general design concept was centered around the creation of a small village integrated by four guest houses and two additional houses for the restaurant, recreation area and services. The design responds to weather conditions, taking into account cross ventilation flows and natural lighting patterns in order to provide the best possible comfort conditions of the Venezuelan tropical climate. We worked almost exclusively with local materials for roof construction, using wood from treated Mangrove trees and robust palm leaves combined with upper mud tile material for structural support. We also recognized the importance of solar control and ventilation in this tropical Apure region of Venezuela. The vernacular elements of tropical architecture offer some approaches, “rectangular layout, short indoor depth, two side opening, veranda, and deep shading roofs.” we extended these to additional factors, including ecological water pool, solar energy, a bio degradable waste program, and used environmental impact data with our engineers to show how the building design and construction influenced, if not determined, these qualities. Important also was the use of permeable pavement, and the different constructed wetlands shading the house.

Part of our role as designers was to make decisions about building plans that determined the microclimatic benefits (or liabilities) of the structures. This point alone supports the premise that sustainable design depends on the decisions made by the designer with the aid of local knowledge and client-specific needs.