“This is the kind of place where a crowd assembles at the beach for the sunset each day, in a Zen-like tribute to nature.”

Nosara, Costa Rica
9,500 sf / Off-Site Company Retreat
Conceptual Design (Unbuilt)

Sometimes the best way to get ahead is to get out - way out.

Via Chicago was tapped by a US-based technology firm to help develop an early concept for an off-site communal house in the world-famous surf town of Nosara, Costa Rica. The “global gathering space” will be used for company retreats, design efforts, and workshops that bring together their “100% remote” workforce for one-to-two weeks at a time. A collection of low-slung structures follow the rolling terrain - intentionally separating key functions, to draw visitors outdoors as often as possible during their extended stay. The main “Casona” revolves around a covered outdoor dining room and central pool. A cozy “family room” is geared toward daily rearrangement for creative group work, while each guest cabin includes a small elevated deck to escape with your thoughts.

Local building regulations - which have helped Nosara avoid careless overdevelopment that has plagued many popular beach towns - also placed a strict limit on the amount of buildable indoor area. Via Chicago embraced these constraints with minimal indoor spaces - “comfortable, content, but not grand” - capped by dramatic roof overhangs that extend the usable area to include wide perimeter terraces.