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Find Us On FacebookWe have just furnished our sales office and moved into a new house. As a result, I am an expert at furniture shopping in Panama and this post serves as my download. There is an abundance of cheap furniture stores here that lack the style and quality that we are used to. If you don’t [...]
Furniture Finds in Panama
March 3rd, 2010 by JerrodCalling All Isla Palenque Fans — Your Opinion Needed
February 8th, 2010 by MichelleHere is your opportunity to have a voice in the creation of our Casitas!
We are finalizing the floor plans for our two bedroom Casitas and are interested in hearing what you think: would you prefer to have the master bedroom on the main floor or on the second level?
Of course, if it were on the [...]
Press Release – Progressive Luxury Resorts Make Walls Obsolete for the Traveling Elite
January 8th, 2010 by FrancesCHICAGO, Jan. 6, 2010 — Luxury travel has assumed a new meaning among vacationers looking to be submerged in their destinations’ natural environment. In response to a growing demand for close-to-nature vacation experiences, some progressive luxury resorts are eliminating the physical barriers between travelers and their ultimate destination: nature. These high-end resorts now offer open-air [...]
Gehry-designed Museum Taking Shape in Panama
December 1st, 2009 by JerrodAs I was driving out to the Amador Causeway last week, I was taken aback by the progress on the new Bridge of Life Biodiversity Museum that is rising out of the ground in an explosion of steel. Panamanian officials selected world-famous architect Frank Gehry, best-known for his titanium deconstructivist Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, [...]
Fun with GIS
November 12th, 2009 by BenJerrod wrote an entry back in July about walking the proposed road that had been staked for us by our topographers. Walking it, and understanding the topography of the area as well as Design Workshops’s intent, I was suspicious that the stakes weren’t quite where they were supposed to be. That, combined with a few [...]
Solar Decathlon
October 9th, 2009 by MarkAs you can imagine, Panama has an abundance of sunshine. It’s an ideal location to get that perfect bronze tan; to watch the sweat dribble down the side of your cold margarita; or to just generally warm any anxiety you might have. When I was first on Isla Palenque that line from Harry Nilsson’s, “Everybody’s Talkin’,” kept [...]
A Product[ive] Post
October 5th, 2009 by MarkLike a Harpy Eagle, I have my eyes trained to be on the lookout for any movement. No. I’m not looking for my next dinner. I’m looking for that next new product or idea that is going to be a game changer. Mostly, it’s just fascinating to read about how innovative people are out there, but [...]
The Best and Worst Resort Development Trends in Panama
October 1st, 2009 by JerrodResort development in Panama has generally lacked the sophistication of popular US-oriented tourism markets such as Costa Rica and Mexico. Architecture has been unimaginative, planning has been unresponsive to the site, and economics have been ignored. Yet, as the government recognizes the importance of tourism, the developers begin to understand the importance of quality, and [...]
Vertical Green
September 22nd, 2009 by FrancesRecently I read about a very interesting vision of the future. One that sees traditional “soil-based” farming as unsustainable long-term, and puts forth the idea of urban “vertical” farming, or Sky Farms. Take a look at this op-ed piece by Dr. Dickson D. Despommier in the online New York Times here. Despommier has a book [...]
Press Release – Island Properties – An Inherently Ecological Land Form
September 14th, 2009 by FrancesCHICAGO, Sept. 11, 2009 — While real estate developers on the mainland often struggle with the economics of sustainable initiatives, island properties inherently lend themselves to environmentally responsible design. While not many island developers explore sustainability as a common sense strategy, there are some who are on the vanguard of sustainable practices – and reaping [...]