Eco Retreat Lab: Costa Rica Environmental Study Abroad

Introduction

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Summer 2015  

In the summer of 2015, the Environmental Design Department, in collaboration with Designmatters, sent ArtCenter students to Costa Rica on an eco-retreat lab to directly explore the rich tropical landscape and the concepts of biomimicry, an innovative study of incorporating the natural world into man-made design and sustainability aspects. Drawing on their personal experiences in the jungle wilderness and utilizing the inspiration of nature, students returned to the Pasadena classroom to imagine and create sustainable resort/vacation complexes in the Costa Rican rain forest that would appeal to unique audiences.

Project Overview

ArtCenter students spent nine days exploring the natural landscapes of Costa Rica, and also toured sustainable lodging accommodations that combine local materials and eco-cultural sensitivities to create intimate and desirable destinations for tourists all over the world.

Students dove deeply into the innovative Six Life Principles and discovered how humans can draw upon nature’s design when creating items and processes that will be well adapted, efficient and sustainable as well as architecturally beautiful.

Through a variety of field trips, exercises and projects, students were immersed in the country’s personality, land and people, experiencing first-hand the motto of Costa Rica: “Pura Vida” (pure living). More than just a saying, Pura Vida is a way of life that encourages the balance between work and recreation through strong community connections and living in harmony with the Earth.

Upon their return, students translated their experiences into final projects – creating a remote vacation complex that would have a specific target clientele, incorporating elements of biomimicry, sustainable sensitivity to the surroundings, and offering an unforgettable Costa Rica experience.

Background

Costa Rica is internationally known today for its beaches, volcanoes and tremendous biodiversity of plant and animal life. With coastlines on both the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, this Central American country is home to more than 500 species, representing nearly 4 percent of the total species worldwide. It’s one of 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world.

Costa Rica’s humid jungles are rich in wildlife including spider monkeys, blue morpho butterflies, giant sloths, dramatically-colored helicona plants, eccentric walking palm trees and more. Hundreds of these species are endemic to Costa Rica, a country that is about the size of West Virginia.

Over the years, Costa Rica established itself as one of the most stable, prosperous and progressive nations in Latin America known for its liberal environmental policies and booming ecotourism. Thanks to the country’s easy proximity to developed nations via convenient air travel, international tourists view Costa Rica as a desired destination for luxury vacations and eco-friendly recreation.

Costa Rica is the most visited nation in the Central American region (2.3 million foreign visitors in 2012) and has an extensive national parks and protected wilderness areas. The country’s commitment to the planet-positive tourism industry weaves together sustainable methods and local community involvement with a strong emphasis on maintaining a biologically sensitive footprint.

Research and Project Development

Art Center students spent nine days in Costa Rica, and for many students this trip was their first experience in an extreme wilderness location that often included jungle noises, large insects and a hot humid climate. Students hiked, kayaked, rode horses and swam as well as toured local eco-retreat centers discovering what makes these tourist lodges successful and sustainable.

Students went on daily excursions to learn about the ecosystem and how nature engineers an interconnected and interdependent system in which every creature, plant and microbe play an integral part in the balance. During studio times, lessons on local flora and fauna provided numerous examples of the intelligence of nature to provide shelter, food and more to a diverse cross-section of needs.

Activities filled the students’ daily agenda: field trips, studio time, presentations, and more field trips. Students sketched models, created life cycle analyses, designed small environment shelters and were introduced to the Six Life Principles that guides natural life to survive and thrive:

• Adapt to Changing Conditions
• Be Locally Attuned and Responsive
• Use Life-Friendly Chemistry
• Be Resource Efficient
• Integrate Development with Growth
• Evolve to Survive

The Six Life Principles gave students a richer understanding of the interconnection and adaptation of the natural world – and how those principles can be used in designing human structures, items and systems.

In Costa Rica, students kept a research journal – inspired by the Grinnell Journaling Method of field observations – that contained preprinted prompts which encouraged thoughts, sketches and retrospection. Students engaged in exercises which honed their observational skills and presented them with opportunities to explore biomimicry concepts. Journals were designed as a personal experience, but students often clustered in groups after an excursion to discuss and share with each other their ideas and observations.

Finally, students were led to a location upon which their eco-retreat would be created: a mountain-top area about 15 minutes from the beach in a heavily vegetated rain forest which regularly receives rain storms and hot afternoon sunshine. Students studied the area and started formulating ideas and concepts.

Once back in the Art Center classroom, students began the process of refining and honing their visions. Weekly presentations to fellow students along with personal one-on-one with the instructors guided their ideation into more tangible and realistic models. Instructors advised students to seek inspiration from notable architects, explore resources that would be appropriate for their project design and thoughtfully experiment by further researching a particular aspect.

The final projects combined elements of biomimicry, sustainably sensitive to the surroundings, and presented authentic experiences of the Costa Rican Pura Vida.