The small village of La Guacima, Alajuela is a tight-knit Costa Rican community where locals enjoy a relaxed, family-centered lifestyle and visitors come to partake in their authentic culture. Since 1974, one of the main attractions for the region has been the Autodromo La Guacima, a world-recognized motorsports facility. DLR Group's design team is working with Bliss Entertainment to transform the existing site into a modern entertainment venue for hosting fairs, concerts, conventions and other cultural activities. The new master plan and design of the Parque Viva Entertainment Complex - exhibition hall, outdoor amphitheater, motorsports facility and public park - meet the growing tourism demand while also remaining inclusive to the local residents. This permanent, full-scale entertainment complex will be a catalyst for both attracting national/international events and enriching the local community. Planning and designing a flexible, multi-functional venue was essential in achieving this duality, where the Exhibition Hall provides space for both business events and social gathering for local community events; the amphitheater hosts concerts or cultural events by night but is also open to local residents as a park by day; and the motorsports racetrack, which remains functional, is also open to the public during non-race hours for locals residents to take a leisurely stroll or ride bicycles in a safe and controlled environment.
The Parque Viva Entertainment Complex consists of a 10,000 SM exhibition hall, 19,000-person outdoor amphitheater, multiple outdoor plazas and a public park located within the 70-acre master plan. In addition, the master plan will ultimately link the rail system from San Jose to the site. The new facility, which is designed to LEED specifications, features a modern water filtration system utilizing one of the country's most prolific resources: rain. The water filtration system captures rain water to be used for irrigation on the site. The project also utilizes sustainable building practices, such as the reuse of remaining dirt at the build site, which preserves natural resources and also eliminates the carbon emissions typically caused by trucks used to haul away the excavated dirt. DLR Group provided planning, architecture and interiors services.
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