Metal Building – Buenaventura Corrales School
Albert Marie Joseph Danly · San José, Costa Rica · 1895
The Edificio Metálico is an unusual prefabricated iron school assembled in San José from components manufactured in Europe. Its modular metal structure and ornamental façades demonstrate how industrialized construction technologies circulated internationally during the late nineteenth century. Despite its lightweight system, the building has a strong civic presence and has continued to serve educational functions. It is one of Central America’s clearest architectural records of prefabrication before reinforced concrete became dominant in the region.