Our Practice
A regional conception proposes blurring conventional boundaries present in practice, underlying the extended impacts of design within distinct aspects of everyday life.
In our work, architecture, landscape architecture and urban design is understood as a continuum for spatial coherence. These disciplines do not operate in isolation; instead, they are deeply interconnected.
Systemic approaches require new disciplinary intersections. The region represents a platform for understanding how design can effectively respond to a given context. Each unique problem demands a flexible, adaptable approach.
By framing the regional as a field of diverse activities, we aim to expand and disseminate the importance of ecosystems, social and natural.
Proyecto de Paisaje y Arquitectura Regional
- We are committed to exploring beauty, enhancing habitats, and emphasizing the importance of nature in our projects.
- We believe in a strategic approach, with our primary objective being to connect with the specific context of each project and use its landscape to enhance a sense of integration. From this foundation, we aim to create impactful experiences and memorable moments.
- Our projects are diverse and driven by a multidisciplinary approach, from community engagement to experimental and academic approaches. Our work oscillates between various scales in order to solve programmatic challenges.
- Our approach starts with understanding. We focus on our clients' needs, identify opportunities for innovation, and apply relevant sustainable practices, all within the framework of coordinated collaboration.
- We are interested in cultural manifestations and their contemporary interpretations. We view this as essential for a fully aware and conscious practice.
PPAR is an open ended collaboration.
Dana Víquez-Azofeifa MLA University of Pennsylvania / Architect, Universidad del Diseño
Dana graduated in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Studies at the University of Design in San José and earned a Master’s in Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Her academic interests encompass the integration of landscape architecture with buildings, systemic landscapes, and the seamless connection between interior and exterior spaces. She has taught design studios and courses at Veritas University in Costa Rica.
Dana has worked with international firms such as James Corner Field Operations, Diana Balmori Studio, Morphosis Architects, Jauregui Arquitectos, and Mathur da Cunha Studio.
She is co-founder and vice president of the Rutas Naturbanas Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a network of shared-use paths around San José and restoring the surrounding river forests.
Her work, both investigative and design-focused, has concentrated on the connection between medium scale urban networks, the ecology of public spaces and urban landscapes.
Her personal interests include empirical botanical practices, wellness methods, plant and tree collecting, botanical drawing, and the exploration of Costa Rican landscapes. These interests contribute to her professional focus on maintaining a close connection with nature.
José Vargas-Hidalgo
MAUD Harvard University / Architect, Universidad del Diseño
José graduated in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Studies at the University of Design in San José and earned a Master’s in Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He currently teaches elective courses in Advanced Topics, Theory, and Urban Research and is an active member of the Research Commission at the School of Architecture of the University of Costa Rica.
He has worked with international firms such as Foster + Partners, Morphosis Architects, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Roto Architects. He also collaborated as an urban design consultant at Michael Sorkin Studio in New York, contributing to projects that won the Holcim Gold Award for North America for "House as Garden," the highest honor for architectural proposals that combine innovative construction with social impact.
In these roles, he focused on the multidisciplinary coordination of buildings within their immediate contexts, integrating infrastructure, landscaping, and urban spaces.
In addition, he is co-proponent and director of urban design of the Rutas Naturbanas Foundation, a project that seeks to create alternatives for the rescue of riparian environments in San José, for which he has worked as an urban mobility consultant for the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP).
His work, both investigative and design-oriented, has centered on medium-scale urban structures, the relationship between urban morphology and buildings, the activation of city archives, and experimental representations of cities and architecture.
His personal interests include graphic experimentation, using everyday practices as design inputs, collecting, and skateboarding as a subculture. These experiences shape him as a professional who critically observes urban and architectural productions in San José.
Marco Solís-Granados
Marco holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Costa Rica. He is currently investigating modern architecture's furniture for his graduation project at the same institution.
Jessica Mejía-Mejía
Jessica is currently working on her thesis project on programmatic guidelines for multifunctional public spaces at the University of Costa Rica.
Ernesto Ugalde-Bruno
Ernesto is currently enrolled in the Architecture and Urbanism program at the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica.
past collaborators
Heike Guth
Kenneth Thompson
Leonardo Monterrey
Tomás Zuñiga
Adrián León
Andrés Calvo
Arturo Escalante
Josephine Dusapin
Roberto D’Ambrosio
Felipe Chaverri