Caracterización de la arquitectura vernácula en madera de la ciudad de Puntarenas a partir de una perspectiva interdisciplinar

Vernacular architecture is defined as the architectural creation in which there is no participation of
a professional; its construction is instinctive, pragmatic, using traditional and sustainable materials
(Landa-Contreras and Segura-Contreras, 2017). This constitutes a particular and identifying
element of the territories, which can become a resource for its social, cultural and economic use,
all factors that can have an impact on local development. Although in many countries there is a
deep-rooted tradition regarding the conservation of this type of architecture, in Costa Rica it is a
topic that has been little explored.
One of the cities with a large number of vernacular architecture buildings is Puntarenas. These old
wooden buildings have common architectural characteristics and details that provide unity in the
landscape. In spite of the abundance of these buildings, there are no previous works that study
them in depth; this lack of information puts their conservation at risk by not knowing in detail the
quantity and condition of the buildings.
Although it is a resource recognized by the community as part of its heritage, there is a lack of legal
tools at the heritage or urban management level to promote its conservation. Environmental
conditions and urban development pressures in this Costa Rican tourist port make these buildings
susceptible to deterioration, changes in use, and demolition.
The objective of this research is to characterize the vernacular wooden architecture of the city of
Puntarenas based on architectural, pathological and xylographic studies that promote its
conservation and enhancement. To this end, an interdisciplinary approach linking architecture,
forestry engineering and biology is proposed.
Methodologically, the project is articulated in stages, the first is an architectural study that will allow
an inventory of the buildings and determine the characteristics of vernacular wooden architecture
in the city of Puntarenas. In the second stage, a pathological study will be carried out to identify the
lesions in the buildings as well as the agents of biodeterioration that affect them. The third stageconsists of a xylographic study that allows the identification of the woods used in this type of
architecture. Finally, in the fourth stage, the results of the previous phases will be integrated to
establish relationships regarding the behavior of the lesions and biodeterioration agents according
to the architectural elements and types of wood identified, allowing for new research to follow up on
the line of work on heritage conservation in which the participating schools have been advancing in
recent years.
The expected products are an inventory with geolocated information on the properties studied; a
location map and dissemination material on this type of architecture; a report on the xylological
study; a collection of strains in the CIF mycological library; a report on the study of biodeterioration
agents and two scientific articles, one on biodeterioration agents and the other on the relationship
of results from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Caracterizar la arquitectura vernácula en madera de la ciudad de Puntarenas a
partir de estudios arquitectónicos, patológicos y xilológicos que promuevan su
conservación y puesta en valor.