la botica

LA BOTICA - Hostel

LOCATIONB Avenue, Casco Antiguo, Panama DESIGNAlegre SaportaCOLABORTORSJorge Domínguez Alfredo Martíz Reina AmayaAREA 1,189.80 m2YEAR2015-2018

Cultural heritage is an essential part of identity and a testimony for its value and stories of urban settlements such as Casco Viejo (the Old Town). With this particular nature, the Heritage, shows a relationship between cultural object and the subject with a communicative value, which presents an unrepeatable character establishing the obligation of its custody, conservation and study for transmission to future generations, in order to safeguard its integrity and its value. Through this proposal, aiming to demonstrate the importance of being a city recognized as a world heritage site with a perspective focused on contribution and an approach to improve habitability conditions, through sustainability and passive design strategies. It can become a pulse that allows raising the patrimonial value to turn it into an engine for the development of culture, tourism and economy.

view from balconies

The current owners expressed their desire to recover a large part of the original elements, and to improve the spatiality, design and finishes to preserve the spirit of authenticity that not only on the original construction offers, but also due to the need for respect for its surroundings. This is why the categories in which the proposal falls are Remodeling for its new appearance and Restoration for its new functional, constructive and aesthetic characteristics.

In order to maintain the essence of the building in its exterior and interior, the intervention of the spaces had to be modest and have a low impact. Organizing the circulation centers, services, rooms and common areas, the functional aspects of the habitability have a better used, construction costs are reduced, execution times are accelerated, demonstrating notable savings in materials, complying with the optimal conditions of the restoration project and reducing the environmental impact.
Conceptually the rooms were located towards the front of the project to take advantage of the balconies, ventilation and ocean views, these are elements that are used as bioclimatic strategies in tropical architecture to take advantage of climatic aspects: Winds and shadows.
The common areas were located as a central nucleus in the plan, towards the back of the lot, which has a separeted balconie with a view of the interior / central patio, in this way we managed to open the spaces, connect them with the rooms and achieve cross ventilation.