RESIDENTIAL
Casa del Lago
Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
“La Casa del Lago” is located in a wooded peninsula jutting into a large reservoirlake which dominates the surrounding environment in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Thelarge trees compose the interior landscape around the house, while the lake offersthe exterior distant views towards which it is oriented. The vehicular entranceprogresses from the edge of the woods curving slowly towards the flat portion of theland where the building is sited. The house, open to its surroundings in all of itsthree levels was designed as a compact volume with distinctive interior and exteriortreatments. The materials used are exposed concrete, wood siding and corrugatedsteel; the interior finishes are softer and more polished with tongue and groovewood planks and local cement tiles.
Casa Mirador
Vieques, Puerto Rico
The project is located in the island municipality of Vieques, Puerto Rico. The neighborhood is characterized by individual lots of a suburban character placed in anatural setting. The design allows for spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea toone side and extensive wetland to the other. The reuse of a small one storystructure that existed in the site was incorporated into the residential-tower tipology.The design strategy was first, to incorporate the existing structure, to build highenough in order to capture the view of the countryside and of the coast, third, tobuild the project in stages because of budget consideration, and fourth, toincorporate the use of recycled materials from another building.The house is organized between two tall vertical walls that hug the existingstructure creating a new tower-like structure that enhances the natural landscape. Aprojected wooden platform at the top extends the space to the exterior providingexpansive views of the ocean. The interior of the house is organized around a largevertical space accentuated by four large doors that span the height of the space.From the outside these doors emphasize the height and the hierarchy of the interiorspace. Operable jealousies provide a visual connection with the existing wetlandand allow for a soft maritime breeze to cross ventilate the entire house.
Casa Colon-Benitez
Vieques, Puerto Rico
The house is a weekend family destination for a retired widower. It is located in a rural setting, in a sector called Pilon in Vieques. The site is of square proportions and it is adjacent to a natural reserve of endemic vegetation outlined by a wall of natural stone to the highest point in the site and with to adjacent residential properties of suburban character. The determining factors for the design are given by its location, a panoramic view of the coast with a site of scarce vegetation and a topography that slopes slightly towards the view. The strategy has been to put together a project that distances itself from the typology of other houses in this area. The formal approach to the design is dictated by two perforated walls that crate a spatial barrier of horizontal proportions that confronts the natural landscape. The house proposes openness to the natural landscape by means of strategically placed windows that extend to the floor and a projecting L shaped balcony to one end.
Casa del Litoral
Vieques, Puerto Rico
A vacation hideout for a business woman, the house is located on the outskirts of the maintownship in the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, on a narrow bluff overlooking the ocean.The site, a minimal 1,400 square feet lot of rocky terrain with a magnificent view across the sea to neighboring islands in the distance, defines the design of the project – first building to the permissible limits of the boundaries, then vertically, securing the desired spaces and areas requested by the Owner. The horizontal volumes contain the public and utilitarian areas while the vertical tower houses more private quarters. While mostly closed to the street and to the neighbors, the façade opens on the ocean side. The visitor will seize a glimpse of the view upon entering thru a courtyard that leads to the main entrance. Once inside the living areas, the visitor then captures the magnificent panorama which visually expands the limited dimensions of the space. An open stair anchored to the south wall leads to a family room and observation deck on the second level from where another semi-enclosed stair takes you in a different direction thus breaking the ascending sequence to the Owner's bedroom on the third level. Exposed concrete in a variety of textures is the main performer throughout the house in combination with glass inserts and louvered window and door panels.