video placeholder

Oxígeno

A lifestyle center as a new community amenity

Our first important architecture project in Costa Rica delivers a new concept of a Human Playground that bridges retail, entertainment, sports, and gastronomy. More than just a shopping center or mixed-use district, Oxígeno is a dynamic extension of the local community. The project celebrates the Costa Rican lifestyle of 'Pura Vida' creating a single destination of "real living" conceived by carefully studying the community.

At a Glance

Project Type

Mixed-Use, Retail, Sustainability, Open/Public Space, Sports & Entertainment

Location

Heredia, Costa Rica

Size

1,400,000 sq ft

Client

Cuestamoras Urbanismo

Executive Architect

OPB

Services

Architecture, Landscape Architecture
world map
Oxígeno human playground

Rather than a retail center with plentiful green space attached to it, JERDE conceived of Oxígeno as a great park for the community that happens to also contain a retail center.

Over 2 Million Visitors in First 7 Months

Site Plan and Vision

The project is located in Heredia, Costa Rica, a suburb just outside of downtown San Jose. The immediate surroundings of the project site are that of a modest, working-class neighborhood, and so it was important that JERDE deliver a project that fit within the context of the community, while providing a useful amenity for the people who live and work there.

The idea behind Oxigeno is to take one of the essential molecules of life and manifest it as a series of spaces representing the fundamentals of Pura Vida: ... Read More Living, Breathing, Feeling, Being, Creating.

Read Less

Five distinct thematic districts provide the organizational layout of the project, bonded together by undulating pathways and central courtyards to create a ... Read More modern sense of place in Costa Rica.

Read Less

A thorough demographic and psychographic analysis in the early planning stages confirmed the need for an innovative business model that integrated several ... Read More uses in addition to incorporating income streams from attractions, media, and digital sources.

Read Less

The look of the project is inspired by the circular clouds that regularly form around the volcanos of the surrounding hillside in Heredia.

Aerial at dusk
Oxígeno's signature feature is the rooftop park, which offers the community a unique amenity and place to come together.
Elevation showing park

The area is accessible either from one of many elevators in the interior shopping center, or directly via the sloping green pathways located near the entrance.

rooftop at dusk full bleed
The park offers breathtaking views of the surrounding green mountains and a place of respite and relaxation.
The park offers breathtaking views of the surrounding green mountains and a place of respite and relaxation.
running w/caption
A running track is open to the public and integrated throughout the project, making it a third place for the community.
Along with the bountiful green space, features like a zip line, and rock wall are part of the 02
Along with the bountiful green space, features like a zip line, and rock wall are part of the 02 "Breathing" zone.
Ed quote on 01 Plaza

The 01 Plaza is the heart of the project . . . the idea is to bring people back again and again with new offerings and entertainment.”

Ed Lopez, Senior Design Principal
01 Plaza - Globetrotters
We worked with the client in the early stages to ensure that the central plaza would remain a maximally flexible space.
The venue that holds up to 2,500 people and is programmed with over 300 events per year.
With multiple types of popular attractions, the 01 Plaza provides the project with a consistent revenue generator.
Image with multiple points where you can click to read more information
wind turbines
Wind turbines on the roof generate a large portion of the project's energy needs.

It's not about shopping,

it's about experience.

park image, full bleed

Next Project

Distrito Armida

Monterrey, Mexico
Modern urban living
Discover More