Institutional

The steel structure sports facility was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria on September 17th, 2017. The galvalume roof panels had been blown off and the structural columns and reinforcements were also damaged. The project scope consisted of re-structuring steel columns and purlins, new roof panels and improvements to the concrete base.

Rehabilitation of a 3-story building to include classrooms, faculty offices, lounges and bathrooms. The project also included refurbishing all exterior facades and stairs.

The task at hand was to modernize and expand the weightlifting facility. A very popular sport at the Aguadilla campus needed more space and remodeled bathrooms for the athletes. The 800 sq. ft. expansion allowed for new bathrooms and additional storage. The exposed concrete exterior walls and window wall configuration allow for a naturally ventilated gym space.

he University’s Central Administration Office building needed to replace a deteriorated steel emergency stair. As the stairs are located adjacent to the most frequently used entrance to the building, we took the opportunity to replace the stairs with and exposed concrete volume that connects to the language of the existing building. The stairs are encased in tinted concrete shell with openings that act as a new façade to the entrance.

The existing building occupied an entire city block approx. 245 ft. x 245 ft. Its ‘brutalist’ style did not have a connection to the street and/or pedestrians and lacked any natural lighting in the interior spaces. The primary design gesture was to replace solid ground level walls with full 16 ft. glass panes on the north and south facades. The entire 1st level is treated as an open plaza with meandering hallways that lead you to various governmental agencies. The interior partitions are also perforated with large glass openings in order to allow transparency in its daily operations.