Photos by Giordano Ciampini

In order not to loose momentum of the construction of the new recycling center in Nosara, the students from the New York Institute of Technology decided to return to Nosara for the first three weeks in January to get as close as they can to completion. To help with the student’s housing and food expenses, and to continue to fund the ongoing documentary film project about the initiative by German filmmaker Ayana de Vos, we successfully raised over $10,000 on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, with the help of 144 backers from all over the world, including many with ties to the Nosara community.

On January 1st the first group of students arrived in Nosara, and immediately got to work. The big goal for this trip is to paint all the wooden structure and to build most of the exterior walls of the building. Since they have received a generous donation of local pochote wood, they are using that and they have designed a very simple yet contemporary wall assembly, maximizing shading, cross ventilation, and views into the recycling areas from the large public lobby and seating area.

You are welcome to stop by and say hi to the students, they are on site Mon-Saturday until January 20th and will be happy to give you a tour, also follow the project’s progress on Facebook, or on our Blog.
While there is a lot of energy and momentum on the site with the student volunteers in town, the project’s completion is jeopardized by lack of funds. The volunteers at the Waste and Recycling Association, who have tirelessly pushed the construction ahead in the past year, have almost run out of money, and additional funds are sorely needed in order to complete the center.

Construction cost so far has been $65,000 and an additional $45,000 is needed to complete the construction, which does not include bringing electricity to the site. With adequate funding, the facility could be operational by the end of March 2013.

If you are reading this and are interested in supporting the project, or know someone who is, through volunteering, material or cash donations, please contact the Waste and Recycling Association at [email protected] 

*Tobias Holler,AIA, LEED AP, is the principal of HOLLER architecture, a research and design practice investigating the relationships between architecture, urbanism, landscape, and technology with an emphasis on using environmental performance as a generator for architectural form. He is also an assistant professor of architecture at the New York Institute of Technology where he teaches environmental design and technology.