Set between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, Costa Rica might seem like the last country anyone would expect to find Brutalist architecture. Pre-fabricated concrete construction, however, allowed Central and South American architects to launch into the Modern world at low cost and on a grand scale. Although simple in plan and section, this social security administration building by the Nicaraguan born architect Alberto Linner Diaz has the look of a bold and complex concrete sculpture, its powerful character offset by colourful plants and swaying palms.