P. 18 - LA PLAYA
MAY / MAYO 2014
Thursday - Monday
noon - 10pm
“Suficiente grande para compartir,
suficiente bueno para no”
WEEKLY EVENTS
Thirsty Thursday
2 x 1 Happy Hour from 5 - 8
Saturday
2 x 1 Ron Abuelo with Dinner
Live Music
Sunday
Brunch from 11am
SAVE THE DATE
Monday, May 5 from 5pm
Cinco de Mayo Party
Friday, May 9 from 6pm
Build your own Ice Cream Sundae
Saturay May 17 from 6pm
Salsa & Sangria
Saturday, May 24 from 5pm
Open Mike
Friday, May 30, from 6pm
BINGO
Saturday, May 31 from 6pm
Guitar Content
Need a ride to and from a
Locos location?
We have a FREE SHUTTLE
Call Us!
6293-0340
g
Shuttle coverin do
rona
Gorgona & Co
LOCOSCORONADO
WWW.PLAYACOMMUNITY.COM
To Advertise / Para Publicidad: [email protected]
ARCHITECTURAL USE OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS IN PANAMA
I
n 2011, Time Magazine wrote
an article exploring the architectural use of shipping
containers. They spoke to the
trend dubbed ‘cargotecture’, as
one fueled partly by sustainability
but mostly by sassy artistic sensibility. The cargotecture movement
that has grown rapidly throughout
North America and Europe over
the last decade has been silently
gaining steam in Panama.
Our close proximity to one of the
busiest shipping ports in Central
America, coupled with the rising
cost of building materials, makes
Panama a perfect candidate for
cargotecture. With a building
process that requires fewer
resources, less labor and less
time, even developers have
bought in.
Homes, hotels and offices built
from shipping containers can be
found all along the Pacific coast,
from right here in Coronado to the
Azuero Penninsula. These structures can be simple single
container deigns, like the Coro-
nado Residents association one
story
office.
Or
multi-story
boutique hotels like Hotel El Sitio
in Playa Venao.
construction along the Pacific
coast. With the design, this space
can be made suitable for a family
of 4. Containers are built to
withstand the elements, and are
strong enough to support a green
roof or several solar panels.
Shipping containers can be transformed into elegant spaces that at
first glance have no resemblance
to a cargo box. They can also It’s no wonder the practice of
embrace their raw feature includ- building homes with shipping
ing bright colors and rippled walls. containers is gaining more popularity. It’s mobile, fast to build,
There are several ways people space
efficient,
relatively
acquire containers for building inexpensive and a perfect exampurposes in Panama.
ple of a creative reclaim. It makes
Some choose to purchase the good sense as a vacation
container their belongings arrived getaway or a beach office.
in, while others seek out major
shipping companies and buy In 2011, Benjamin Garcia Saxe an
directly from them. Panama acclaimed
architect
whose
Containers y Modulos S.A. is one designs won the 2010 best house
of the companies in Panama award at the World Architecture
selling containers and prefabri- Festival, built a 1,000 sq ft home
cated modules. Containers can be using two 40 foot containers. The
purchased in Panama new or container house, in San Jose
used.
Costa Rica was built on a budget
of $40,000 and is a perfect examA traditional 40ft container has ple of simple yet stunning design.
67.5m2 of living space, which is
bigger
than
some
of
the In Amsterdam, one company has
one-bedroom
condos
under created
multiple
container
projects to take care of student
and
community
housing
problems. And there are many
more like it. Today, you can buy
container housing plans and even
have prefab modules shipped to
your door. A search for “container
housing” on the Internet will show
you the surprising growth of this
industry.
While the cost of shipping
containers is on the rise, the
cargotecture
movement
in
Panama still seems to be largely
driven by affordability. As expats
continue to relocate to Panama
affordable
housing
becomes
harder to find, for both first time
buyers and retirees. Container
homes are definitely a good
option for those looking for a
creative space at an attractive
price point.