Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Recope Headquarters

This is a project by Fournier-Rojas Arquitectos (FoRo Arquitectos) and it is located at San José, Costa Rica. Project's program: Office building. There are eight images for Recope Headquarters.

: © FoRo Arquitectos

Project details

Project name: Recope Headquarters
Location: San José, Costa Rica
Program: Office building
Area: Project area: 11,700 m2
Year: Competition: 2004, 1st Prize
Client: Oil Refining Company (RECOPE)
Project by: Fournier-Rojas Arquitectos (FoRo Arquitectos)
Team: Principal designer: Álvaro Rojas • Design team: FoRo_ARQ

Project images

Designer's statement

In 2001, Recope, a state oil refining company, called for the design of its new headquarters through a design competition which our firm won.

We had three major concerns: (1) to develop the smallest footprint possible in order to (2) dedicate as much of the site to a public park and (3) to design bio-climatic urban building.

The cylindrical shape of the building is a metaphor of the cylindrical tanks that a refinery uses to store liquid fuels.

The building cylinder opens up towards a long water trough that emerges in the dense park and travels through a large plaza, as symbols of natural renewable energy and of life itself.

The building façade is designed as a sun screen, as a sort of a brise-soleil, which rhythmically changes according to its exposure to the sun, being much more dense towards the East and West and sparse towards the North and South.