Case Study: Curridabat improves heat resilience with Gensler’s sustainable shade structures

Curridabat deploys 3 sustainable shade structures with Gensler

The city of Curridabat, Costa Rica, was suffering from the consequences of climate change, specifically extreme heat, which made key public spaces in the Tirrases district underutilized due to inadequate shading, safety concerns, and limited accessibility. To address this climate injustice, the city engaged the architecture and design firm Gensler to co-design a solution through their participatory design and urban design services.

Gensler co-designed and deployed a modular shade structure prototype with the community, constructed from sustainably sourced local materials like bamboo, rope, and canvas. The solution was implemented in three key locations as of March 2023. Gensler is continuing to gather data to evaluate outcomes and iterate on the design, refining best practices for creating safer, more accessible public spaces that actively mitigate extreme heat for vulnerable communities.

Curridabat