509 CESAR GONZALEZ, SAN JUAN
t: (787) 751.6676
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING
All the public areas are organized in a linear fashion, with a new covered terrace projecting from the well lighted living area.
The new master room is provided with a small balcony, as the existing master bedroom is provided with a private patio.
Casa Lorenzana
Dorado, Puerto Rico
Located in a suburban development, at a walking distance to the beach, this house is expanded to accommodate a second residential unit. The existing house fronts the residential street, but is sited about twenty five feet from the sidewalk. The existing roofs are organized in two levels: the lowest covering the bedroom area and the higher over the public spaces.
The proposed internal layout is similar to the existing house, with particular adjustments to improve the room sizes, enlarge the closet areas, provide a laundry area, and a multiple user bathroom.
The new entrance becomes the major statement in the final façade. The stair to the second story unit is a dominant element with its extending wall and the cascading of the wooden roofs. Arrival to the second story unit is at its highest elevation (highest existing roof) from where one can descend to the bedrooms level, 30” lower.
Dr. Nazario Residence
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
This residence is located on the top of the hill of the main entrance to Extensión Villa Caparra development. The site is very irregular in shape, with a very limited circular frontage on Roma street. The topography, although almost level, does not enhance the existing structure.
The existing building does not recognize all these energies or influences and organizes itself in an orthogonal system, unrelated to the site. Other problems identified were the location of the bedrooms facing the public way (lack of privacy), an unmarked entrance, a perceptual dominance of the garage over the entrance, a constrained path to the main entrance to the house, and a hidden entrance door. Finally, the desire to improve the aesthetics of the house was also on the agenda.
The proposed solution, started by establishing a relationship between the existing building and the site geometry. The southern boundary was provided with a new concrete wall to improve privacy and to “anchor” the building though the carport to the site. On the eastern facade, a new sand blasted curved concrete wall “curls’ the existing structure around the curved street frontage. The northern boundary is defined by a low benchwall, that resolves the geometrical conflicts between site and building.
module) and garden. Views of the sea are limited because of vegetation, but its presence is felt. The staircase which provides access from the seashore to the second level, is located to the west of the entrance.
The second level provides a wide panoramic view of the bay and neighboring hills. The terrace (at the public module), is the main social area and controls the scenery. The living room integrates itself spatially to the dinning room, and both of these to the terrace by means of doors. The staircase to the main sleeping room is in the northern side. The service module, toward the south, contains the kitchen, storage, toilet and staircase to the first level.
The upper level is assigned to the master bedroom, bathroom and a terraces for views to the seashore on the north and to the lagoon, looking over the mangroves, on the south.
The house expresses the distinct conditions which arise from its relation to climate, its internal uses and functions, though the marked differentiations of openness. The wooden terraces in the north function as tropical light filters, describing interesting patterns of light and shadow over the main body.
The Caribbean and international architectural vocabularies are combined with an allusion of coastal lighthouses, in a proper synthesis of its location in a Caribbean island coastline.
Rivera Residence
Culebra, Puerto Rico
This project, situated in a triangular lot with a wide northern front facing Flamingo Beach and a southern front to Flamingo Lagoon. To the East is a lot with a structure lacking architectural significance; to the west vacant land.
The site’s principal features are its spectacular views and the beautiful beach. However, the existence of a densely vegetated primary dune, whose preservation is vital to the ecosystem, prevents the visual pleasure of the seashore from the ground level of this flat topography. The border of the lagoon is defined by mangrove vegetation, which is under government ruled preservation. There is little additional significant vegetation.
The projected structure is located in the eastern section of the lot, so it becomes independent of its surroundings, permitting maximum land use. Vehicular access is attained through a dirt road, parallel to the mangroves, to the parking lot and the back entrance.
The existing vegetation is enhanced with palm trees to define the lot frontage to the seashore, and to segregate the play area and the lawn from the dirt road. Access to the seashore is through a gap in the existing vegetation. The dune is bridged with a wooden platform, thereby preventing erosion. The northern facade (very open and perforated) faces the seashore and provides access, through an outside staircase, from the terrace.
The structure has been organized into three horizontal modules (service, living and public) and three vertical zones (ground , second and third floors), so as to establish desired privacy levels, and to maximize the views from the social areas and the master bedroom.
Entrance from the parking area leads to an entrance hall with book shelves (at ground level, in the service module), where a bath and a staircase to the principal level are also located.
Further north, there are two guest rooms (in the living module), with direct access to a wooden terrace (public
The curved wall, combined with a new tall wall placed along the entrance pathway, between the carport and the entrance corridor, provides a landmark to identify the point of entry to the property.
The carport is adequately tuned down to a second importance. A canopy provides shelter to the visitor at the raised entrance portal. Both pedestrian entrance and carport are provided with very dense metal grilles and gates to increase privacy to this over exposed residence.
The entrance path is improved with new low walls on the carport to hide the automobiles, after which views open to courtyard with garden. Finally, an extension to the foyer allows the entrance to the house to be viewed as the clear destiny of this journey.