FOURTH EDITION
AD&VISION
FALL / WINTER 2016
PLACES OF PURPOSE
THE NEW MUTUAL SERVICES BLOOD BANK
Cristina Villalรณn Named One of the Top 40 Under 40 by Design: Retail AD&V Ranked Among the Top 50 Design Firms Worldwide by VMSD #CUALESELFOAM? Initiative AD&V Latest Projects Summer Internship Program AD&V Tours the New Mutual Services Blood Bank Urban Garden Update
WHAT’S NEW? THE NEW MUTUAL SERVICES BLOOD BANK
PLACES OF PURPOSE
When the American Red Cross shuttered its blood donation operations in Puer to Rico in 2013, there was a vacuum left open in the medical services community. The Mutual Services Blood Bank entered to fill that void. The AD&V’s design team wanted to craft a new brand image that was free from many of the darker connotations that had characterized such facilities in days past. The intention was to put the business of blood donation into a warmer, more playful, almost childlike, and essentially, non-threatening context while also sending a hear tfelt message of gratitude to those thousands of donors who literally ‘give of themselves’ to save the lives of others.
SAINT JOHN’S SCHOOL NEW HURRICANE PARK Last September, Saint John’s School inaugurated their new Hurricane Park—and as in years past— AD&V gladly donated of its time and resources to the completion of this key project for the school, the alma mater of AD&V founder Cristina Villalón. This multipurpose space will give students of all ages a place to grow, learn, and develop to their full potential as healthy and productive young adults. In planning the design, AD&V foresaw the many ways students might employ the park— as a theater, an open-air study space, or simply as a meeting place to socialize with friends and teachers. In keeping with the school’s long-standing credo, the new park is about embracing life and learning in all its multiple expressions.
OTHER NEW & UPCOMING PROJECTS
Krispy Kreme @ Mall Of San Juan 2
Zabó Restaurant
New Gladiolas Development
WHAT’S NEW? JULIO CÉSAR PÉREZ VISITS AD&V
THE GREEN SHEIKH IN PUERTO RICO
Cuban architect Julio César Pérez visited Puer to Rico this past April to spearhead an international conference entitled The Future of Havana hosted by AD&V founder Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz and the Foundation for Architecture. The renowned architect has the chance to visit AD&V headquar ters and meet with team members, who were deeply inspired by his passion both for Cuba and his dedication to architecture on our sister island. We all look forward to a return visit from this new friend and colleague in the very near future.
Dr. Abdul bin Ali Rashid Al Nuami, a member of the Royal Family of Ajman, is popularly known as The Green Sheikh for his decades-long dedication to environmental education throughout the Middle East. This noted educator left a lucrative career in the petroleum industry to pursue a life’s work defending issues of climate. In September, the Green Sheihk visited Puer to Rico to lead a public conference sponsored in conjunction with the Polytechnic University of Puer to Rico.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT In recent months, AD&V has been featured in numerous publications including:
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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
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1. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was selected for the Saint John’s School Head of School Award. 2. Cristina Villalón was selected as one of the top 40 Under 40 for 2016 by Design:Retail. 3. AD&V was selected as one of the Top 50 Design Firms by VMSD. 4. AD&V was selected as one of the top 5 Largest Architectural Firms in Puer to Rico as ranked by Caribbean Business. 5. AD&V was selected as one of the Power 100 by Caribbean Business. 4
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SPECIAL APPEARANCES
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1. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was invited as par t of a video project for local newspaper El Nuevo Día. 2. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz & Cristina Villalón were featured in a Fundación Flamboyan video about philanthropy. 3. Cristina Villalón was interviewed by WAPA TV for the #CUALESELFOAM initiative. 4. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was a keynote speaker for ECOSISTEMA 20|22. 5. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was selected to be a par ticipant in a video project for McConnell Valdés LLC celebrating the tenth anniversary of their pro bono program. 6. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was selected as both par ticipant and collaborator in a recent video project for El Museo de Ar te de Puer to Rico. 7. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was a guest panelist at Retos y perspectivas en el Desarrollo Económico by ACPR. 8. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was featured in Coleccionista de Ar te by Imagen Magazine. 9. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was a guest panelist at the Space Development Conference. 10. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was a member of the jury for the Premios Obras CEMEX. 11. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz & The Foundation for Architecture hosted a conference entitled The Future of Havana featuring renowned Cuban architect Julio César Pérez. 12. Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz was the keynote speaker for the opening of the CODDI Convention. 5
AD&V WORLDWIDE NEW YORK
CUBA
Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz and Cristina Villalón have logged plenty of frequent flyer miles during 2016. Representing AD&V worldwide, they have visited Cuba, Washington D.C., Miami, and New York City—just to name a few of the destinations they have visited during recent months. While in Cuba, Ricardo and Cristina visited El Vedado, Old Havana, and other historic sites where they had the rare oppor tunity to be able to appreciate up close the many handsome and impressive examples of authentic Spanish colonial architecture that this timeless capital city has to offer. In Washington D.C., our favorite globetrotters enjoyed a 6
MIAMI
WASHINGTON DC
White House tour, a visit to the U.S. Congress, as well as a quick look-see at a host of other key government buildings. In New York City, Cristina attended the International Contemporary Furniture Fair where the latest trends and the newest, eye-catching pieces are always on display. While there, she was honored to receive the Design:Retail 40 under 40 award in a stellar event held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Rounding out the journey, Cristina checked in at our Miami office to meet with several key clients and suppliers. And no trip to Miami can be complete without a quick outing to Miami’s Design District to restock and refurnish.
FROM THE ACADEMY
From left to right: intern Mar tín Serrano, intern Kiara Firpi, Antonio Gárate, Cristina Villalón, Ricardo Álvarez Díaz, intern Carmen Ruiz & intern Ricky Jiménez.
SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AT AD&V In 2014, Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón created the AD&V Professional Practice Internship Award, in association with the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, as a way of recognizing students for their outstanding leadership and sustainability in design. The recipient of the award this year was Mar tín Serrano: a Notre Dame student, born and raised in Ecuador. As par t of AD&V’s ongoing commitment to the future of the fields of architecture an interior design, AD&V offers a Summer Internship Program for design students to develop their abilities in a professional office setting while teaming up with actual working professionals staff on real-life projects. This past summer, AD&V welcomed four new interns. This year, AD&V was happy to receive architectural student Ricky Jiménez for a second consecutive summer. Ricky is a fifth-year student at the School of Architecture at Notre Dame. Other talented students who shared their talents with us this summer were: Kiara Firpi, a graduate-to-be from
the Polytechnic University of Puer to Rico and Carmen Iris Ruiz, an architectural student from the University of Puer to Rico. Throughout the summers, interns were fully immersed as fully-functioning members of the AD&V staff and given full responsibility for completing key projects under deadline. Over the course of the summer, interns were exposed to residential, retail, and affordable housing projects. In this way, students were exposed to how an architectural firm actually operates by involving them in client meetings, team charrettes, and regular staff conferences. Interns were required to step out of their comfor t zones, to acquire new technical skills, and to solve issues creatively and under pressure.
“We want these highly talented students to take home with them great memories of Puer to Rico— and all of the unexpected and meaningful things our island has to offer. We want them to return to their hometowns and their universities with unforgettable stories— as well as a wellrounded professional experience under their belt.” -Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz. 7
OFFICE CULTURE AD&V CARES
11 CENTS OR 500 YEARS? #CUALESELFOAM? #OUTWITHFOAM On Ear th Day this year, AD&V wanted to find a way to make a significant social impact in our own local neighborhood of Santurce. We hoped to reach out, to educate, and to inspire lasting change. But how? One day, over lunch, we got an idea. As a firm, we were always troubled by the fact that whenever we purchased our lunches to go, all the restaurants in our neighborhood would serve our food in styrofoam containers. We assumed the decision was based on cost and we figured that if we could somehow pool all the restaurants in our neighborhood, we might be able to convince them to make the switch to a more planet-friendly alternative— and at the same time, benefit from volume pricing. Upon fur ther investigation, we found out that the price difference was much greater than we initially thought— and that even with volume discounts included, the cost would turn out to be 11 cents more per container for compostable material vs. styrofoam. But maybe that was the solution. What if we gave consumers a choice? Perhaps some consumers would be happy to assume the 11 cent cost difference. That was how our educational campaign was born. 11 cents or 500 years? (Five hundred years is the time it takes for a styrofoam container to finally decompose). April 22 came quickly and we prepared an outreach activity to engage all pedestrians in the area during their lunch hour. 8
The plan was simple. In return for signing our petition stating that, as a consumer, they were willing to would the 11 cent cost difference between compostable and styrofoam, we would provide one free compostable container per person to take with them to local restaurants where they could ask that their food be served to them in these containers rather than styrofoam. We spoke to all the restaurants in the area— and to our delight, they happily agreed. As our little gift to the Ear th, we prepared an educational social media campaign that delved into the dangers and hazards of styrofoam in the hope that we could propagate our message and plant a seed that might take root in other cities around the globe. At AD&V, our staff has worked hard to raise awareness not only about the grave problem of contamination that styrofoam represents—but also to educate the public about its role as a possible carcinogen. The Ripple Effect Ultimately, we gave away nearly 500 containers on Ear th Day alone—and more than 750 people signed our petition. Local bookseller and café owner Libros AC joined forces with AD&V switching out all their product to compostable materials. This ear th-friendly effor t has even gone multigenerational. Recently, a ten-year old student from nearby Robinson School heard about our initiative and took it to hear t. Inspired, she petitioned her school administration to abandon the use of styrofoam in the school cafeteria and succeeded in convincing them to switch to compostable.
OFFICE CULTURE HAITI Every summer, AD&V team member Natasha Yordan joins a select group of friends to visit the Ar tibonite Province in Haiti. The trip is a working vacation for Natasha and her friends who donate their time and knowledge working as volunteer educators for a one week summer camp that teaches basic learning skills to over 300 local children. At the same time, children are provided well-rounded meals to ensure proper nutrition. This year, AD&V joined forces with Natasha, pooling together donations in the form of books and school materials that were then donated to this noble cause.
MOEH RECYCLING Félix Cardona is a Puer to Rican entrepreneur who found a very creative way of recycling plastic bags and upcycling them as purses, wallets and planters. When AD&V learned of Cardona’s exciting initiative, we were happy to join him. gather and donate all plastic bags to Félix so he can continue making his beautiful products that are sold through the online e-commerce brands of Puer to Rico and Santurce Pop store. Thank you for your commitment to the Ear th, Félix. Keep counting on us! Want to see more of his creations? Follow Moeh on Facebook @moehliveco.
VENEZUELA Today, the country of Venezuela is struggling with dire shor tages of food, medicine, and other basic life necessities. As par t of our ongoing AD&V Care program, team member Gina Tormos brought to our attention the possibility of assisting the Program for Humanitarian Aid to Venezuela from Puer to Rico: a non-for-profit organization that is working to assist this Latin American country in these most difficult times. AD&V swiftly organized to purchase medicine in bulk as well as other essentials that were immediately shipped to Venezuela. We hope our small contribution will be of great help to those in need.
INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEAN UP DAY Every summer since 2002, Scuba Dogs Society, a local non-profit organization, has celebrated International Beach Cleanup Day. In this all-day event, the community joins together to help clean our beaches and monitor all collected waste material. This year the AD&V team gathered more than 30 pounds of waste. This is the second year AD&V has par ticipated in this wor thy initiative whose goal is to create awareness about the deleterious effects of garbage on our coastlines and the responsibility that we all have, as a community, for taking care of our precious natural resources. 9
OFFICE CULTURE AD&V TOURS THE NEW MUTUAL SERVICES BLOOD BANK AD&V is the proud designer of the newly inaugurated Mutual Services Blood Bank on Roosevelt Avenue near San Patricio Shopping Mall. The Mutual Services Blood Bank is a Puer to Rican institution distinguished by its highly specialized operations and exper t personnel. Their work centers around the collection, processing, storage and distribution of blood and blood components for all of Puer to Rico. The need for blood in Puer to Rico increases dramatically every year, and the only source to satisfy this growing need are regular donations from the public. During a recent visit to the bank, Chief Financial Officer José Alsina was kind enough to give us a complete tour of the facilities and to explain in depth the processes of donation and blood collection. Our staff members had complete access to this spectacular, state-of-the-ar t facility. The AD&V staff took the walkthrough and were greatly impressed with the facilities, the design, and the final construction, which was completed by the firm over the past year. The gift of blood is the most precious gift anyone can give to another person— for it is truly the gift of life. During our recent tour, several AD&V team members stepped up to personally donate blood. The simple yet all-impor tant act can help save a life,—or often, several lives— as the donated blood is broken down into its separate components— red cells, platelets and plasma— that can then be used individually for patients with specific health conditions. We urge you to par ticipate in the program and help save lives. Contact 787.751 6161 to help suppor t this wor thy cause.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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AUGUST 10 Neydín Alvarado Miranda
SEPTEMBER 15 Estefanía Alejandro Silva
SEPTEMBER 19 Kiara Firpi Carrión
NOVEMBER 29 Cristina Villalón
AUGUST 13 Gina Tormos Aponte
SEPTEMBER 16 Antonio Gárate
OCTOBER 7 Joaquín Hernández Reyes
DECEMBER 1 Carla Joan González
SEPTEMBER 6 Natasha Yordán Pérez
SEPTEMBER 17 Stephanie González
THE AD&V TEAM WISHES YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
OFFICE CULTURE URBAN GARDEN We are pleased to announce that our crops are growing stronger every day— right here in the the hear t of downtown Santurce. We harvested our first bunch of bananas and plantains just a few weeks ago. As we grow more and more adventuresome, we even planted pineapple and corn in our rooftop garden this summer.
Earlier this year, we also star ted growing grapes. The grape vines have quickly found their way out of the garden—and on to a nearby railing. It looks like our vineyard is off to a healthy star t—and we are all looking forward to our first vintage crop in late 2017. Who knows? We might even star t producing AD&V Wines.
ROADTRIP TO MAYAGÜEZ As a summer activity, AD&V organized a group outing to the western coast of the island, to sample new sites, new cuisines, newand to tour a residential project the firm had been working on during the past year in the historic city of Mayagüez. The par tners guided the tour, explaining in detail, every aspect of the design decisions that the project has presented along the way. The house itself has been a challenge, pushing all the boundaries of traditional architecture and design. The project is scheduled for completion by 2017.
ROADTRIP TO THE MALL OF SAN JUAN In 2016, AD&V received a commission to design the new Krispy Kreme located within the elegant Mall of San Juan. This is the first store of its kind in Puer to Rico—the first Krispy Kreme retail outlet to be located inside a mall— and AD&V dove into the project with gusto—creating an ambience that was both functional and inviting to the eye. Last July, we were toured the new Krispy Kreme facility as a group in order to appreciate up close all the results of the many months of hard work the design team had invested into the project—and naturally, to sample a doughnut or two, for good measure. 11
VISIT OUR NEW REDESIGNED WEBSITE:
alvarezdiazvillalon.com
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1509 Ponce de Leรณn Avenue, Ste. 4, 2nd Floor San Juan, Puer to Rico 00909 t: 787. 754 1381 info@aldivi.com
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