General Studies Building, University of Puerto Rico
Architects & Firms
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Client: University of Puerto Rico
Completion date: August 2009
Program: A four-story, 55,000-square-foot addition to the university's Rio Piedras campus, housing undergraduate classrooms as well as faculty and administrative offices. The new structure complements a 1960s-era academic building across the quad.
Solution: The architects sought to turn the addition, set at a widely used back entrance to the university, into a new face for eastern edge of campus. They wanted the new building to be distinctive yet still feel connected with the original. Cast in reinforced concrete, the structure mimics the modular, rectangular shape of its predecessor, so that together the two suggest puzzle pieces separated by the quad. To enliven the streetward facade, the Toro Ferrer team commissioned a Puerto Rican artist to create a sculpture in colored perforated aluminum, which doubles as a sunshade. Inside, they organized the classrooms and offices around an open-air gallery, which they topped with a skylight fitted with louvers to allow warm air to escape. Like a central patio, the ground floor can be entered from all sides, making it a natural meeting spot. Bright, lozenge-like concrete benches add color to the otherwise neutral concrete palette.
Total construction cost: $13 million
Architect:
Toro Ferrer Arquitectos
2004 McLeary Avenue
San Juan PR 00911
T: 787-727-7700
F: 787-727-8094
PeopleClient Architect Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Engineer(s): Structural Engineer: Miguel Zapata Electrical Engineer: Juan Requena & Asoc., Lighting Design: ISP Design Telecommunications: Telec Engineers Geotechnical Engineer: Geocim Consultant(s): Audiovisual & Acoustical: Acentech Inc “Onda” Mural Artist: Nayda Collazo-Llorens “Pebbles” Benches Designer: Maruja Fuentes General contractor: Photographer(s): CAD system, project management, or other software used: |
ProductsRoofing Windows Glazing Doors Glass Doors: Valcor Samcor Interior finishes Demountable partitions: Steelcase (at Faculty Offices) Special surfacing: Dupont Corian countertop with integrated lavatories (restrooms) Floor and wall tile: Daltile (at classroom entrance walls, snackbar walls) Agrob Buchtal (at restrooms) Terrazzo tile flooring & pre-cast terrazzo treads: Baldosas de Granito Lighting Downlights: Cooper Exterior: Elliptipar & ERCO Mural Lighting: Alkco/Hoffmeister Steplights: FC Lighting Conveyance Plumbing Add any additional building components or special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project: |
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