Plaza Rolex sits at the main commercial entrance to Escazú, designed as an urban articulator between the local street connecting the Vista Alegre neighborhood and national route 105. The building occupies the full perimeter of the lot as a homogeneous mass of washed concrete, from which a corner plaza is subtracted. At that corner, a small tower virtually reconstructs the field of the original prismatic volume — present and absent simultaneously. The project avoids both the classic urban typology that simply follows the street line and the commercial typology that retreats the building to the rear of the lot, combining both approaches to reconcile their respective virtues with the client’s requirements.
The resulting volume is perforated by windows of varied sizes and positions distributed across the facade’s field structure, always preserving the reading of the mass in the heavier upper portion while allowing continuous glazed facades at the base. The stereotomic language gives Plaza Rolex a timeless character that outlasts the commercial tenants and their changing storefronts — the subtractions define the building’s identity regardless of what occupies it, making it a point of reference in the area despite its modest scale.
The constructive joints of the washed concrete finish reveal the original geometry and composition of the project, entering into dialogue with the wide joints marked in the paving and their boundary relationships. Material and color are applied with discipline throughout: washed concrete covers not only facades and primary structural elements but extends to balustrades, benches, stairs, and pavements, unifying the project as a continuous surface. As counterpoint, a lightweight metal pergola with translucent roof is suspended above, sheltering visitors along the route into the building’s interior.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Location: Trejos Montealegre, Escazu, CR

Photographs courtesy of Arch. Ricardo Chaves