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Tropical Identity

Tropical Identity
By Francesco Pagliari -

The “Tropical Identity” installation at the ninth International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennial is an example of how contemporary architecture can be in tune with the specificities of place, colour and nature. Curated by the Italian-Latin American Institute (IILA), the exhibition focuses on important architectures in Costa Rica and Panama.
With his work, Bruno Stagno, a Chilean architect, trained in Europe but living in Costa Rica since 1973, implements just this sort of integration. Giving architecture a tropical identity means knowing how to assess the character of a place, its colonial and pre-columbian history, the light and depth of shadow, and then choose materials and shapes to create contemporary architecture that is one with the requirements of climate, comfort and client tastes.
Bruno Stagno uses “economical” materials like bricks and small concrete blocks, as well as metal sheeting (Coverib slabs supplied by Italian company Ondulit) for roofs – sloped to ensure run-off of tropical rains. Façades can be opened for ventilation. The frequent inner courts and spaces serve as both community and circumstantial environments at the same time. Stagno’s houses are simple and modern, his office and community buildings have wide porticoes with steel pillars and undulated or geometrical roofs. Shapes and colours constantly refer to the exuberant tropical vegetation all around.
Frank Gehry has designed the “Museum of Biodiversity – the Bridge of Life” in a highly significant place: the outlet of the Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean. In the words of the Gehry project, “Panama is the Museum”. The museum itself is dedicated to nature and geological history, the meeting of the continents and “biodiversity”. The interiors, designed in collaboration with Bruce Mau, fold and weave around a central court, offering stunning views onto the surrounding countryside. Brilliant colours are a dominant feature of the architecture that combines cubes...

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