New visitor center design for San Lucas Island in Costa Rica selected in CABEI-sponsored competition

San José, November 11, 2021. - A project that incorporates historical elements of San Lucas Island in Costa Rica, such as the seawall, as well as the use of clean energy and the principles of universal accessibility, was the winner of the architectural design competition for the visitors' center on the island, which was sponsored by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).

The contest, organized through the Costa Rican First Lady's Office, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) in coordination with the Costa Rican Engineers and Architects Association (CFIA) and the Costa Rican Architects Association (CACR), was aimed at calling for innovative proposals that support an environmentally responsible tourism model in a vulnerable area such as the province of Puntarenas, to which the island belongs.

CABEI Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi, said, "We are excited to have been part of a project that, when developed, will undoubtedly translate into opportunities for the people of this rural area who need them so much.

The initiative, in which 46 proposals from architects from the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos (CFIA) and the Colegio de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CACR) participated, was sponsored by CABEI for US$10,000 to carry out the project and award the winning project.

Between 1873 and 1991, San Lucas Island served as a prison for criminals considered dangerous, and in 2020 it was declared a national park.