2024-present
data-driven sustainability consulting for businesses and corporations. sustainability reports, water footprint, carbon accounting.
// the studio
a small lab, asking the model
before drawing the section.
entrópica is the architectural and energy-modelling practice of josé barría, a registered architect based in panamá, with a master of environmental building design from the university of pennsylvania. the practice operates as a lab, deliberately small, with the model treated as a working tool from before day one.
// leadership
josé barría
founder · architect · simulation lead
jose is a registered architect and founder of entrópica, an architectural practice focused on energy-led building design in tropical climates.
his experience spans panamá and the united states, across residential, commercial, and institutional work, with a consistent focus on climate-responsive design and building performance. he has worked at design firms in philadelphia and panamá, taught and researched at the panamá green building council, and co-founded an early sustainable-design practice that laid the technical ground for entrópica.
outside entrópica he is a partner at trimpacta, a sustainability-consulting practice that handles the corporate side of the same problem, water footprints, carbon accounting, and sustainability reporting for businesses that want the work done honestly.
education
- master of environmental building design, university of pennsylvania (2017)
- bachelor of architecture, isthmus, panamá (2014)
honors
- dna · design awards paris, winner, cultural architecture (2024)
- moa panamá, honorable mention (2023)
// the work, before this work
selected experience.
2020-present
energy-first design studio. building performance simulations (energy+, openfoam, radiance), façade optimisation, daylight modelling. clients include developers, ngos, and multinational firms.
2018-2021
led sustainable planning strategies; coordinated and designed public space recovery projects; promoted sustainability-oriented city policy.
2017-2018
design development and environmental analysis for mixed-use and institutional projects, including vanguard campus west's $76mm neptune building.
2013-2015 · 2018-2023
directed award-winning architectural projects (residential, commercial, institutional). managed design delivery, consultant coordination, and construction oversight.
2013
sustainability benchmarking, policy research, and early adoption of building performance tools in panamá.
// why so much rain?
because climate is where the building starts.
we often present our projects in rainy or overcast conditions on purpose. it is a reminder that the climate is the starting point, not a backdrop. performance begins with understanding the environmental realities a building will face: weather, light, and seasonal change shape comfort, energy use, and long-term resilience.
by showing our designs in their true climatic context, we make a single point: beauty and efficiency are inseparable from place.
// principle 01
passive first.
orientation, shading, insulation, glazing, optimised before any system is sized.
// principle 02
simulate before drawing.
small models, asked early, beat one big model asked at the end.
// principle 03
measure the move.
every claim has a number behind it, in the same units the client pays in.
// principle 04
stay specific.
tropical means tropical. imported standards don't survive contact with panamá.