Sustainabledesign

(At a glance)

Standards

RESET (INTE C170), evaluated by INTECO ¹, or LEED v5, certified by GBCI ²

Levels

RESET rates in suns, from one sun to Sol RESET + 2 ³; LEED from Certified to Platinum

Fee

Our work is a separate fee agreed up front; the certifier's fees are paid by the owner ⁴

Team

We work with accredited consultants: a RESET consultant listed by the CFIA ⁵, a LEED AP, and a Green Rater where LEED requires one ⁶

(Who it is for)

• Hotels and retreats that want a label their guests recognise
• Owners who will sell or rent and want proof of how the building performs
• Anyone who wants the shade, breeze and water decisions written down and checked

(Strategies)

1. 

   (01) Climate

   Sun, shade and breeze

   The cheapest energy is the energy a building never needs. We draw the sun path and the prevailing wind for every site, then place the rooms, size the overhangs and open the walls so that shade and cross ventilation do most of the cooling.

   • Sun path and shade study
   • Overhangs sized to the sun
   • Cross ventilation through every room
   • Insulated roofs
   • Daylight without glare
   • Air conditioning only where it is needed
   The climate of each town we work in →

2. 

   (02) Water

   Rain kept for the dry season

   Rain comes in a few months and in large amounts, and in Guanacaste the dry season lasts about five. We size cisterns to the roof and to those months, send grey water to the garden where the rules allow it, and plant so the garden gets through the dry season on little irrigation.

   • Rainwater harvesting sized to the roof
   • Cisterns for irrigation and toilets
   • Grey water reuse where allowed
   • Low-flow fixtures
   • Drip irrigation
   • Rain that soaks into the lot instead of running off

3. 

   (03) Materials

   Built for salt air

   On the coast, a material that fails in ten years is the least sustainable choice. We choose for salt air, humidity and sun: plantation teak, board-formed concrete, local stone and finishes that age instead of peeling, bought close to the site where we can.

   • Plantation and certified timber
   • Board-formed concrete
   • Local stone
   • Paints and sealers low in solvents
   • Hardware that resists salt air
   • Suppliers close to the site

4. 

   (04) Energy

   Little left to run

   What is left to run should run on little: ceiling fans before air conditioning, LED lighting with controls, hot water from the sun, and roofs oriented and built to carry solar panels, now or later.

   • Ceiling fans
   • Split air conditioning in bedrooms only
   • LED lighting with sensors and timers
   • Solar water heating
   • Roofs ready for solar panels
   • Efficient appliances

5. 

   (05) Landscape

   Keep what grows there

   We survey the trees before drawing and design around the ones worth keeping. New planting uses native species in layers (canopy, shrubs and ground cover), which need less water and feed the birds and insects of the place. Near nesting beaches, like Playa Grande, outdoor lights stay low and shielded from the sand.

   • Tree survey before the design
   • Native species
   • Layered planting
   • Lighting that stays off the beach and the sky
   • Native ground cover instead of lawn
   • Compost for garden waste

6. 

   (06) Planted roofs

   The roof as a garden

   A planted roof keeps the room below cooler, holds back the rain during a storm and gives the floors above something green to look at. Kauhane House has a planted terrace on its upper floor.

   • Planted roofs and terraces
   • Drought-tolerant native plants
   • Drainage sized for tropical storms
   • Waterproofing with a root barrier

(Certification)

• (Costa Rica)

  RESET

  Requirements for Sustainable Buildings in the Tropics, written in Costa Rica and published as the national standard INTE C170. INTECO evaluates it in three stages, design, construction and operation ¹, and rates the result in suns ³.

  Evaluated by

  INTECO

  Levels

  One sun to Sol RESET + 2

  Best for

  Houses and small hotels

• (International)

  LEED®

  The rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council, now in version 5 ². Better known to foreign buyers, guests and brands, and costlier to certify; a LEED house also needs an independent Green Rater on site ⁶.

  Certified by

  GBCI

  Levels

  Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum

  Best for

  Hotels and projects for an international market

• (Without a certificate)

  Designed to the criteria

  Every project we design follows the decisions above, certificate or not. If the label is not worth its cost to you, you still get the shade, the breeze and the water strategy, written down in the drawings.

  Certifier's fees

  None

  Best for

  Owners who want the result, not the label

(How it runs)

1. (01)

   Choose the standard

   With the lot study or the concept

   We compare RESET and LEED for your project's type, budget and goals, set the level to aim for, and register the project with the certifier.

   You receive

   • Which standard and which level
   • What certification will cost, certifier included
   • The list of criteria the design has to meet
2. (02)

   Design to the criteria

   With the design

   Orientation, shade, cross ventilation, water and materials are decided against the criteria and recorded as we draw. RESET reviews design, construction and operation as separate stages ¹; an energy model is added where the standard asks for one.

   You receive

   • The criteria tracked in the drawings
   • The design documentation for review
3. (03)

   Build and verify

   During construction

   We keep the evidence the standard asks for on site: materials, waste, water and energy systems. LEED houses need on-site verification by an independent Green Rater from the design stage on ⁶.

   You receive

   • Evidence for each criterion
   • Site verification where it applies
4. (04)

   Certification

   After the build

   We submit the project to INTECO or GBCI and answer the reviewers until the certificate is issued.

   You receive

   • The certificate and its level

(Fees)

(Not included)

• A promise of certification: the certifier decides after reviewing the evidence
• The independent verification of a LEED house, done by a Green Rater ⁶
• Energy modelling and commissioning, which we coordinate with specialists

(Questions)

(Sources)

1. #25 RESET, the standard for sustainable architecture in the tropics. Construction21, 2020.
2. What you need to know about LEED v5. UL Solutions, 2025.
3. RESET: Edificaciones sostenibles en el trópico. Vince Studio, consulted October 2026.
4. LEED certification fees. USGBC, consulted October 2026.
5. Consultoría de la Norma RESET (list of RESET consultants by level). CFIA, consulted October 2026.
6. LEED Green Rater. USGBC, consulted October 2026.