CHOCOLATE CAFETERIA,
SAN JOSÉ, 2004
The property´s project was located directly to the west, so the sunset was the focal point to be exploited.
The garden in front of the living room window, was the only place available in the property to build the cafeteria.
Considering that the building would add a lot of shade to the internal living room space, we were challenged to design the
proper elements to avoid a dark and stuffy living room.
We performed a climate analysis to determine the best way to provide internal comfort, using only passive strategies.
One strategy was to use a transparent roof above the cafeteria, to allow only the noon rays of the sun, to shine on the cafeteria and illuminate the living room.
In this way, the sun rays at noon, when temperatures are not so high yet, would not affect the internal comfort.
We added air permeable walls, to permit cross ventilation, a well insulated roof, and vents in the top of the windows to let the hot air out.
We also placed climbing plants on the exterior to reduce radiation.