VISION:
Secluded. Luxurious. Breathtaking. Atop a cloud-kissed mountain…surrounded by tropical rainforest…where the Continental Divide offers views to both the Pacific and the Atlantic: Your retreat from the world awaits.
Spanish for Hidden Highlands, Altos Escondidos is surrounded by nature’s beauty…sustained by her abundance…and committed to living in harmony with the land and its people.
MISSION:
Earth’s Greatest Diversity of Life… At Your Doorstep. On the narrow land bridge where North and South America meet, Panama holds one of the world’s richest natural environments.
Panama’s mountains, rainforests, beaches, islands and two oceans are home to migrating birds and butterflies, whales and dolphins, from both continents. Monkeys and sloths, butterflies, toucans, parrots and parakeets fill the jungle…more species of life than almost anywhere on Earth.
In the lush rainforest, purple and white orchids cling to tree trunks high overhead…ferns grow as tall as people…and coconuts, bananas, mangos and papayas grow wild.
Life at Altos Escondidos nurtures body, mind and soul. The song of a rushing stream cascading down a rocky slope…the whisper of rain lulling you to sleep...the scent of jasmine filling the night…a billion stars overhead. Tranquility. Serenity. Peace. |
| | The project is located on 69 hectares with views of Gatun Lake and the Bay of Chame, from a mountain plateau kissed by the clouds. The Continental Divide passes through the southern corner of the site 2700 ft above sea level. The tropical location in the mountains 8 degrees north of the Equator has lush vegetation and cooling breezes.
The proposal is to create an ecological haven of 75 homes, an example of environmentally sensitive design. When completed, the project will meet the highest standards of LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, the premier environmental design rating system established by the US Green Building Council.
As Panama City intensifies in density and becomes more super city, we will intensify nature in our project, making the countryside even more pristine - the perfect antidote and counterpoint. The project will step lightly on the land, with minimal cut and fill, and will replace any tree removed with at least two native species trees.
The extensive woods on steep slopes will be largely preserved, with zip lines and canopy walks, supported by a 16 room country inn at the entrance to the complex. This tourist attraction will qualify the project for Law 8 benefits.
Nature trails and bridle paths will meander through the gated community and evoke memories of the adjacent Camino Real. Home sites will be nestled in the woods, with plant buffers for privacy. Access roads will be minimal, a main artery looping through the site with feeder cul-de-sacs leading to clusters of no more than three home sites each.
Materials and Resources
Wood cut from trees removed will be recycled in the construction of the homes. Materials used will be recyclable and have high recycled content whenever feasible. Stone and other natural materials will be obtained from within a 200 mile radius. In keeping with Panama’s status as the world’s gateway to manufactured goods, the latest technological advances will be incorporated with high efficiency, low energy consuming systems.
Energy and the Environment
The project homes will be designed to the highest passive energy standards so that they go beyond energy conservation to become generators of energy wherever possible. Large overhangs, cross- ventilation, and breathing walls, the classic shorthand for passive design in tropical climates, will be used extensively. Photo voltaics and smart building management systems will be layered to supplement the passive designs.
Water Efficiency
Rainfall ensures a steady supply of water. Collecting the rain in cisterns will provide an additional source of water for landscaping and non-potable needs. Potable water will be obtained from wells and aquifers.
Indoor Air Quality
The use of paints, stains and glues with low VOCs, and large areas of operable windows and louvers will aid in establishing great indoor air quality. Only systems with minimal emission of Hydro Fluoro Carbons (HFCs) and Hydro Chloro Fluoro Carbons (HCFCs) will be used in mechanical cooling.
Design Innovation
The largely sloping wooded nature of the site calls for a system of construction that will have the least impact on nature. We propose three different models, to be located according to the terrain.
All models will be designed to maximize passive systems, shade and cross-ventilation, use active systems such as pv technology, solar power, and intelligent building systems. They will incorporate and take advantage of the spectacular views while qualifying for the highest level of the LEED rating system established by the US Green Building Council.
All models will be designed on a design module, using a kit of parts which will standardize construction materials, lower costs, and create unity with diversity. The designs will be customized to owner taste and the special dictates of each site.
The Designer
The project is designed by Dr. Raj Barr-Kumar, FAIA RIBA IIDA USGBC, sustainability expert, architect and interior designer, a pioneer of the sustainability movement internationally renowned for decades for environmentally sensitive designs. “Raj Barr-Kumar’s designs are environmentally sound and aesthetically pleasing”. The Washington Post, Page 1, Earth Day, April 26, 1990
1997 National President of the American Institute of Architects, Dr. Barr is the author of a seminal book on sustainability, “Green Architecture – Strategies for Sustainable Design”, and a frequent speaker at international professional symposia.
He serves as President of Barr Group International LLC, and Barr-Kumar Architects Engineers PC, a full service architecture, engineering, interiors, environmental design and development firm based in Washington DC.
In addition to a thriving practice, Dr. Barr holds a prestigious appointment as the Director of Environmental Design & Technology at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.
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