Urban Development Design

Papagayo Design Center engineering design team begins with the developed Master Plan or the Site Plan (for smaller projects) and performs a detailed review of all the considerations taken at the design of the Master Plan, restrictions, land plan for zoning and selected sites, the business strategy plan, and the development program, and then starts the design and development of construction drawings for the roads and utilities infrastructure, for all the engineering specialties: civil design for roads, hydraulic design for potable water supply and distribution systems, sewage water collector system, and treatment plants, storm water drainage system, electric design for electric energy distribution systems, and telecommunications network.

We take a holistic approach to sustainable and resilient residential developments, with careful integration of the design of roads and utilities infrastructure with the natural ecological ecosystems of the site.

We develop full construction drawings and technical specifications, building permit approvals, and property fractioning and entitlements, for the following type of projects:

Project TypesConstruction drawings, permits & property fractioning

Project Type	Scope
Residential Urban Developments	Roads and utilities infrastructure, including land fractioning with development parcels and individual lots, either as regular land fractioning or as Horizontal Condominium
Multifamily Vertical Condominiums	Urban development design under the Horizontal and Vertical Condominium Laws and Regulations, condominium legal creation until property fractioning and registration of individual condominium cadastral plans
Hotel & Resort Site Design	Utilities infrastructure design, including parking lots, entrance roads, intersections with public roads, loading docks, service roads, retaining walls, fences and entrance gates

Design & Construction Drawings Development ProcessFrom concept through municipal approval

Phase	Scope
Topographical Surveys	Property boundary verification, elevation mapping, and contour analysis for site planning
Preliminary Institutional Consultations	Regulatory institutions, local government, and environmental officials
Basic Engineering Studies & Site Investigations	Soil studies, geotechnical studies, hydrological studies and natural drainage, hydrogeology studies, forest maps and tree surveys
Environmental Studies & Permits at SETENA	SETENA environmental licensing and compliance documentation
Master Plan Review	Validation and sign-off of the approved Master Plan before detailed design begins
Master Plan Anteproyecto Drawings	Preliminary project drawings submitted for approval by the Board of Engineers and Architects (CFIA), central government institutions (AyA, Bomberos, INVU, Ministerio de Salud, MOPT), and the local Municipality — required before detailed design development can proceed
Design Program & Guidelines	Development standards, design parameters, and project guidelines definition
Schematic Design & Drawings	Definition of design guidelines and parameters, and definition of control budget
60% Design Development Construction Drawings (60% DD)	Construction drawings, definition of construction standards & details, and control budget update. Value engineering is applied to reduce cost
90% Design Development Construction Drawings (90% DD)	Construction drawings, preliminary technical specifications, and control budget update. Value engineering is applied if needed to reduce cost
100% Final Construction Documents (CD)	Construction Drawings and Construction Specifications, and control budget update
Building Permits	Coordination of documentation for Building Permits and permit processing
Condominium Legal Creation	Legal constitution of the condominium entity, preparation and registration of individual cadastral plans, property fractioning, and legal entitlements for each unit under the Horizontal and Vertical Condominium Laws
Construction Inspection	Construction Technical Inspection and Quality Control

Engineering Design Specialties

Civil · Structural · MEP · Landscape

• Roadways geometrical design
• Pavement structural design
• Earth movement design and volume calculations
• Land stability works, retaining walls, slope design
• Hydrology studies, storm water discharge analysis and permits, and flood control
• Culvert and small bridge design
• Potable water distribution system
• Potable water supply, storage tanks, water wells, and pumping stations
• Potable water purification plants
• Storm water drainage systems and discharge control points design
• Sewage water recollection systems & pumping stations
• Sewage water treatment plants, and effluent water reuse in irrigation
• Irrigation water distribution systems and final vegetation irrigation
• Electric energy distribution network, aerial or underground, low and medium voltage
• Solar energy systems
• Telecommunication supply systems, copper or fiber optic cables (aerial or underground), and wireless, for telephone, internet and cable TV
• Road and common areas illumination design
• Landscape and hardscape design
• Special architectonic buildings, entrance gates, and features design