San Carlos, Panamá · Housing · 2025
Casa Finca Eco-lodge Zaratí
Base house for an eco-lodge project, designed with sustainability criteria.
Architecture studio · Panama City · Design · Site supervision · EN/ES
From raw material to built place.
De la materia prima al espacio construido.
Tropical architecture with criteria — designed for the climate, not against it. We design your project and act as your eyes on site, in English, so you can build in Panama without being here.
Who we work with
Building in Panama from a distance?
Expats & retireesYour home in the tropics, designed and checked while you are still abroad.
InvestorsIndependent design and supervision that protects what you put in.
Foreign businessesCommercial spaces adapted to local climate, codes and crews.
Panamanian diasporaBuilding back home, with someone you trust on site.
Services
Design that understands the tropics. Supervision on your behalf.
01
Schematic Design
Site, climate and program first. Concepts that set orientation, volumes and spaces — with every decision explained.
02
Design Development
The chosen concept, refined: plans, elevations, materials and renders, ready for your approval.
03
Construction Documents
Complete drawings and specifications to permit and build — structural engineering and the MEP package (electrical, plumbing, gas and A/C) included.
04
Site Supervision — your eyes on site
We act as your owner's representative: site visits, photo reports, and every invoice reviewed against real progress before you pay.
Site Notes / Notas de obra
We check it before you pay for it.
You can't be on site. We can. Each visit becomes a clear report — photos, marked-up corrections and what still needs fixing — so you always know where your project stands, wherever you are.
- Waterproofing checked before tiles go on
- Slopes and drains verified on terraces
- Invoices compared with actual progress
- Materials matched to what was specified
What we caught — Vivienda River, Week 10
Tropical criteria
Good tropical architecture is not about luxury. It's about judgment.
Shade before A/C
Orientation, eaves and deep openings do the first work. Machines come second.
Air that moves
Cross ventilation and height keep spaces fresh and dry.
Materials that last here
Rain, salt and humidity are design conditions. Bamboo and local materials, used well.
Process in the open
You see every decision, every cost and every correction. No surprises.
Selected work
Projects with tropical criteria
San Carlos, Panamá · Housing · 2025
SPS, Honduras · Retail stand · 2026
Atimas Instante Café
A dynamic, compact stand for a coffee shop and sportswear store.
Azuero, Panamá · Housing · 2026
Casa Portal
Progressive replacement housing for families affected by the October 9 earthquake.
How it works
Four steps. All of them remote-friendly.
- 1
Talk
A WhatsApp message or a video call, in English or Spanish. We listen to what you really need.
- 2
Design
Concept, renders and drawings — with every decision explained so you can choose with confidence.
- 3
Build, supervised
We visit the site on your behalf and send you clear reports with photos and corrections.
- 4
Handover
A final walkthrough and a punch list closed before the keys are yours.
The studio
Led by an architect who builds.
Materia Prima is led by Paola Ramírez, architect and project manager based in Panama City. She works across design and construction sites every week — and brings that experience to every project, backed by a trusted team of engineers and builders.
Co-founder of Bambú Lab, a sustainable bamboo construction and research organization working across Latin America, and a contributor to the book Bamboo Architecture Unboxed.
- YLAI 2026 — U.S. Dept. of State
- Esri Young Scholar Awards 2026 — Finalist
- UNICEF Innocenti Youth Network
Building and can't be on site? Write to us.
¿Construyendo y no puedes estar en obra? Escríbenos.