Early work on Playa Danta beachfront park.
This is my stream-of-consciousness account of some of the places that have been most influential from my personal point of view in the creation of our vision for Las Catalinas. Pictures of all these places can be found here: http://chasbrew.smugmug.com/Favorites
Here is a peek of one of our new renderings that is coming. Should have colored version in a couple of days. Click on it to see whole thing. Some details that will only be in color aren't there yet - like tree foliage.
After our Daily on Las Pintas -- the old Costa Rican tradition which dictates that, according to legend, the first 19 days of the year determine the weather for the year -- we decided to take a look at the weather throughout the first 19 days of January and determine exactly how the weather will go ...
I'm here in South Bend Indiana. Yesterday was the day for final presentations on the studio work that 16 fifth-year architecture student have been doing on Las Catalinas. The students have done a huge amount of work, and produced some beautiful images! I'll get the real scanned versions of the work ...
We are approaching the third annual Pura Vida Ride Paddle Battle, a great SUP race event. The action begins on June 1 at 9:00 am. Whether you will be competing or spectating and enjoying the scene, this is one of the most enjoyable days of the year at Las Catalinas.
Urban planners, civil engineers, architects, and designers have spent centuries searching for the blueprint of utopia – the ideal town. It is a centuries-long quest for the architectural Holy Grail and while such a blueprint is likely never to be found, a new architectural trend known as New ...
Those fifth-year architecture students at Notre Dame have been working away on their Las Catalinas projects. They had an interim review on Monday and we got a few images. Some of them look pretty exciting!
Wood is a noble material distinctive of the Colonial architecture style that furnishes the Tropical Americas. It’s featured in decor accents, furniture, floors, and balconies, adding a warm, natural touch to designs and buildings. At Las Catalinas, in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, wood is a ...
I went to the Luberon region of Provence in France last month for a tour of hilltowns. I treat myself to a field trip like this every once in a while in search of lessons and inspirations for Las Catalinas. These Luberon towns were suggested to me by Douglas Duany. And it was a great call. Here is ...
This is one in a series of "Lessons from..." documents I have written after visiting places that are of interest as precedents for Las Catalinas. Some of these towns I have visited before. I stayed in Pienza circa 2004 on a study trip with the Seaside Pienza Institute. Civita de Bagnoregio I ...
My new favorite place and time is: these rocking chairs outside of Pura Vida Ride between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Pura Vida opens at 7:00 with their most excellent coffees - my case mocha. These chairs are the natural place to gather before or after a ride, run, hike, swim, boat, snorkel, or ...
With our friends at RaceQuest back in town, we took some time to sit down with triathlon coach Chip Beard, a longtime local, and talk about the other side of triathlon prep. After all, someone has to run the workouts, and create the training plans, and shout out the early morning motivation.
Check out these shots courtesy of Alonso Piedra. He took them using a DJI Phantom - a pretty cool looking machine. As you can see the hardscape on the next portions of Beach Town, including Calle la Ronda, Reconcito de Reid, Plazoleta Lucille, Plaza Pienza, and part of Plaza Central is nearly ...
We had a big presentation/party here at the Yellow Fin Bar in Flamingo, Costa Rica tonight. Tons of people including lots from the brokerage community. It went great. And more of a party than I could handle!
One of the greatest resources of the Guanacaste region and Costa Rica in general is its tremendous biodiversity and vibrant natural ecosystems, which bring with them a nearly limitless supply of different flavors, ingredients, and possibilities for cooking. And still, even with such a wealth of ...
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