In order to meet the challenge of designing a building of large-scale apartments (one per story) in a prestigious residential neighborhood, a suitable property was found opposite the local Country Club, which has exuberant landscaping. Following the spatial study of the plot, an irregular floor plan was designed aimed at taking full advantage of the lovely views, with a greater development facing southwest in order to take in the distant panorama of the Escazú hills, while excluding the view toward the neighboring building. The evergreen hills change their color hues and prove fascinating. The natural light is a spectacle in itself: sometimes cold, other times brilliant, gray before the rain, and afterwards translucent. In the month of December, clouds cover the higher floors and veil the distant city lights. In short, the landscape is the actor and the building, the spectator.

The spiral shape helped me clarify this proposal. The center would coincide with the vertical flow. In incorporating the curve in the design, it enlarges the area and widens the view. In these areas the structure was reduced to columns to minimize obstruction. The high structural walls in fluted form-liner poured concrete are intercepted by horizontal brick bands in each floor. This effect was to soften the height. On the western side, balconies are intercalated with floating eaves, which protect the high windows from the setting sun. Under the eaves, awning windows guarantee ventilation and the downward view. At the same time, these eaves, because of their depth, create wide bands of shade. We worked with easy-maintenance materials, i.e., brick and exposed concrete, exploiting their natural appearance contrast with the huge window panes that introduce a controlled brilliance. This set of contrasts values the extremes: opaqueness versus luminosity.