About the
Studio

Born in Chile, Had primary and secondary education in a small private school,I did my higher studies in architecture at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Chile.

I always have been focused on the relationship between the human space and its natural environment, I concluded my architecture career with a thesis project located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, proposing a modular wood construction system to be inserted into the forest with the minimum impact.

I have worked as an architect in Costa Rica for twenty-five years, at Luz de Piedra, where we have been pioneers in the implementation of sustainability concepts, have developed projects in almost the entire national territory, mainly tourist and residential low impact projects, designed in various materials, we have specialized in wood and bamboo design. I also worked in Stagno Studio, in corporate projects: educational, banking, and commercial; where we have been pioneers in passive strategies and plant screens in urban buildings incorporation

In addition to the professional exercise in design, I work as a professor of Architecture at LCI Veritas, in the field of wooden structures, design with natural materials, and Extramuros workshop, intervening in parks in San Jose, working with students, communities, institutions and companies to achieve tangible projects.

I have conducted research for the Institute of Tropical Architecture, as well as drafting the original document of the National Standard of Sustainable Buildings for the Tropico RESET.

I have always sought architecture adapted to the climate and lightweight structural systems, I am captivated by the constructive details, the incorporation of renewable materials, the design of landscaping, and promoting an open and healthy lifestyle, which prioritizes light and natural ventilation, and takes advantage of the conditions of a tropical climate.

As a complement to architecture, I have carried out various artistic and decoration works for private clients and hospitality projects. I have developed manual techniques in wood, stained glass, art with seeds, utilitarian and sculptural ceramics, screen printing, oil painting and drawing. This has allowed me to detail an architecture with aesthetic and artistic sensitivity.

With only 6 months of birth, Pietro migrated to Costa Rica in 1973 in the hands of his parents of Chilean origin. He does the entire school, primary and secondary stage in San Jose, specifically at the Country Day School of Escazu. Upon graduation, he was immediately accepted at the University of Rhode Island School of Design in Providence; where he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1994 and in 1995 the Bachelor of Architecture. During this period he also performs a Winter Session at the SPEOS photography academy in Paris, France.

When graduating from RISD, it takes some time to travel. In 1996 he decided to go to Santiago de Chile to continue his studies and get closer to his roots and great family. He enrolled at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile where in 1998 he obtained the title of Magister in Architecture with a distinction vote.

Between 1997-1999, in Santiago de Chile he worked in the office of Rodrigo Pérez de Arce, Teodoro Fernández and Monserrat Palmer. At the end of 1999 he returned to Costa Rica.

He founded in 2000, together with the architect Luz Letelier, his own architecture, design and workshop studio called Luz de Piedra (www.luzdepiedra.com). Since its creation, the firm has focused on sustainable architecture, with a strong consideration for the specificities of tropical regions and a practical approach to materials and details. They have designed and carried out a wide portfolio of multidisciplinary projects, but attention has been focused on residential, hotel and academic buildings. They have specialized in low-impact lightweight construction, comfort bioclimatic design, wood and bamboo structures and tropical landscape design. They have been recognized with various awards that recognize their sustainable designs, woodwork, interior design and incorporation into their projects of a biodiverse landscape. His work has been published in several books/magazines/digital platforms.

Pietro’s architectural / design work has been constantly accompanied by his craft with carpentry, CNC operations, explorations with recyclable materials, painting, photography, among other techniques with which they develop artistic works for private collections, offices, residences and hotel projects; as well as offering digital wood manufacturing services.

Pietro was co-founder and active member of the Institute of Tropical Architecture since its inception in 1994. He was one of the creators and is also a Certified Consultant of RESET (Requirements for Sustainable Buildings in the Tropics) which is the national standard for certifying sustainable construction in Costa Rica. Standard that has been accepted by various institutional and academic entities. He was chosen and participated as a member of the jury for the Latin American region of the Lafarge Holcim Foundation Awards for Sustainable Construction 2016-17.

During 2010-2020, Pietro was a professor of an architecture workshop at the Veritas University in San José where he was also a tutor of many thesis projects. He has been invited to show his work, participate in debates and give lectures in several countries.

In 2021, he moved to Amsterdam to take a year off and found, together with a partner, the startup BIYU Habitats BV; which offers a prefabricated modular solution of hybrid steel and bamboo house for the planetary tropical belt. (www.biyuhabitats.com) Currently, this project is very active in prototyping and execution phases.

Back in Costa Rica in 2022, Pietro actively continues with the projects of Luz de Piedra and his daily work of wood art in his workshop in the Escazu mountains.