Horizontal development will mark the residential trend this year in Alajuela and Cartago, while Heredia and San José will maintain a combinan of horizontal and vertical living, according to Colliers International.
At least five projects will begin construction in Alajuela and Cartago, where most of the new home-owners middle and lower-middle-class, according to La República.
The exception in Alajuela will be QALMA, an high-rise in El Coyol.
In Heredia, vertical development gains strength, mainly in Lagunilla, due to factors such as the cost of land and a change in lifestyle associated with the type of professionals, millennials with acceptance for this type of development.
The developments are aimed at the middle class.
In the case of San José, the ‘vertical’ or ‘horizontal’ option will depend on the area where you want to line.
In terms of amenities, the trend is oriented to green areas, swimming pool, pet areas and spaces for exercise and recreation.
- East. Towers predominate in places like Curridabat for the middle, upper and upper middle class.
- North. In places like Moravia and Guadalupe, there are horizontal condominiums for the middle and lower class, while Tibás will have a couple of towers for the middle class.
- West. Mostly towers aimed at middle class, upper middle and high, due to the cost of land. In La Sabana, Rohrmoser and surroundings of the Barceló San José hotel there is vertical housing and mixed-use; Likewise, the concept of a circular city will come with a Nucleo Sabana project. In Escazú and Santa Ana, horizontal luxury condominiums predominate.
- South. Towers for the middle and lower middle classes have taken off, with a maximum of six floors due to water restrictions that serve as a solution to the scarcity of land and the need for housing in the area.
According to Randall Fernández, Manager at Colliers International, every day more, developers value factors such as teleworking, so the conditioning of residences takes into account that people do not only live there, but work, so security, technology and connectivity issues are important.
Towers have numerous advantages: security 24/7 with controlled and restricted access, the convenience of having multiple services in one place, amenities such as a pool, gym, coworking area, green areas, and location.
Because the shortage of land, the GAM allows vertical developments to be located in better locations.
Advantages of horizontal condo developments include more square footage for living area and amenities and are typically away from crowded urban centers.
