Located at Escazu, on the hills of the west side of San Jose, the most exclusive vertical condominium to date is under construction. Valle del Tamarindo is the name of the project and comprehends a 9 stories high building which houses 12 condos and 2 penthouses.

Each condo is 5,000 sq. ft., and the penthouses are 10,000 sq. ft. constructions in 2 levels. The project houses the highest international standards regarding construction, security and finishes.

Privacy is a very important issue, especially in 6 figure homes. Where its vertical nature, masonry can not be used on all internal walls due to weight and structural limitations. Costa Rica is a located in a very active seismic zone.

The options considered common use construction materials in several configurations with multiple layers or improving the simple gypsum wall with an Acoustiblok liner. Once the developer considered the options, the labor required for each configuration, and indirect costs, the best investment choice considering soundproofing benefits was the Acoustiblok option. Acoustiblok presented a STC52 rating in a very easy and fast way to do it.

Most of the bedroom and bathroom walls are considered critical and are treated. Walls dividing kitchen and dining areas, as well as laundry areas are commonly treated zones as well. Each apartment owner has also added his choice for specific treatments: offices, gyms, dens, yoga rooms, etc…

To the right is my preliminary results of the performance of the Tamarindo Valley walls. Each wall is a composed by 1 layer of 1/2 inch gypsum, 3 inches metal stud, fiberglass filling , 1 layer acoustiblok and the other gypsum layer, sealed and painted. The walls run from the floor all the way to floor ceiling assembly of the upper story.

Our firm feels really proud to be part of such a high end project and having fulfilled the developers’ requirements on such a sensitive topic.

Best regards,
Francisco Brenes.

Atentamente,
Ing. Francisco Brenes Obaldía M.B.A.
PRESIDENTE
Ingeniería ALFA: Ingenieria de control de ruido y acústica
A member of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA

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