Places of Purpose | 2002 - 2017

AD&V ® FIRM HEADQUARTERS Santurce, Puerto Rico 2013

Built in 1904 in the Santurce district of San Juan, the building originally housed the Blanche Kellogg Institute for young girls, founded by J. M. Kellogg, in memory of his daughter Blanche. After the school closed, the building and the adjacent complex went through a long period of decline until a revitalization plan was initiated in 2007. AD&V’s principals were eager to be a par t of the Santurce revitalization and in 2013 moved the firm’s corporate offices into the historic building.

The entire 5,000-sq.-ft. space on the second f loor of the former girl’s school was thoroughly reimagined and repurposed with contemporary sustainable practices in mind. Solatube tubular daylight devices allowed for “daylight harvesting” that facilitate the transfer of sunlight into the office’s interiors. Inver ter air conditioners furnished high-eff iciency, low-noise, environmentallyfriendly cooling. Advanced Lutron technology powers interconnected daylight sensors, dimmers, and occupancy sensors for maximum energy conservation. In addition to comfor table and functional administrative areas and studios, an outdoor balcony is home to a composting facility and an urban garden that produces herbs and fruits. Within a year of its inauguration, the office received a LEED® CI Platinum cer tification making it the first architectural and interior design practice in Latin America to be so honored.

The success of the space comes from the firm’s intention to create an office that is an uplifting and productive place to work. Neutral tones predominate, yet occasional pops of color turn up in expected places—and they tend to be bold and green—a fitting metaphor for the philosophy and work of this forward-thinking firm.

The design has received numerous recognitions including the AIA-PR Sustainability Award, Honorable Mention (2015) and the AIA-PR People’s Choice Award (2013). In addition, AD&V was featured in Interior Design’s Best of Office Design II (2014).

Reception area

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DIAGRAM 1. Existing structure and wooden doors 2. RPS - Sustainable sites | Choosing a building situated on a previously developed site reduces the demand for undeveloped land. Fur thermore, this location offers easy access to public transpor tation, banks, restaurants, libraries, museums, fitness centers, and all government services.

3. Lobby 4. Solid volume 5. Administration 6. Existing roof and structure 7. Solid office volume 8. New glass volumes 9. ECM-01 Daylight harvesting | Solatube tubular daylight devices (TDDs) bring daylight into interior spaces, monitor the footcandles in specified areas, and based on feedback from the system, raise or dim electric lights, as necessary.

Architecture library & conference room Interior design library Open workspace Building’s main façade

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MOUNTAIN TOP Private Residence Morovis, Puerto Rico 2002

This elegant Spanish-style hacienda is built on a centuryold family estate in the magnificent mountains of Morovis, Puer to Rico. AD&V’s design and plan for the project is conceived and constructed as an homage to the owner’s southern Spanish ancestry. Marrying refined architectural elements with energy efficiency succeeds in the owners’ vision of an aristocratic, yet contemporary, country home.

Following Old World tradition, the design is anchored around an interior patio in the Moorish style—enclosed on three sides and open to a reflecting pool on the fourth.

Horseshoe arches, a colonnade, vineyard-style patio, ornamental Moorish mosaic tile work, and a marble fountain are reminiscent of Medieval Spain. The stately entranceway, picture-frame windows and looming bell tower complete the exterior while flooding the interior with light and cross ventilation. This proper ty was featured on the popular Spanish TV3 show “Españoles alrededor del mundo”, reflecting the client’s heritage.

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Outside view of main façade

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Living & dining room Back entrance Pool area Main faรงade

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Garden Terrace View to the city

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BUDATAI RESTAURANT Condado, Puerto Rico 2006

The interior design of this upscale restaurant in the luxurious Condado area intended to create the lookand-feel of a jewel box. The waiting lounge area is appointed with luxurious red velvet. Ceilings are brushed with metallic gold. The main bar is topped with motherof-pearl.

AD&V’s design team transformed the building’s existing exterior into a transitional wall that conver ts the ceilingto-floor, Art Deco windows, into doorways. The windows were meticulously reproduced for a new exterior wall.

As a result, the main dining room space doubled in size, and every restaurant patron experiences a spectacular ocean view. The overall effect was cushiony, inviting, and warm. Every aspect of the diner’s experience was considered to exude lush hospitality to discriminating restaurant patrons.

Bar area

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Restroom Lounge area Dining area (with view of La Ventana Al Mar) Dining area

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RENAISSANCE SQUARE Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 2017

Renaissance Square is a landmark project for Puer to Rico, heralding the f irst mixed-income public housing development ever to be built on the island. In stark contrast to the high-rise structures they replace, the new buildings are designed to human scale and in keeping with the surrounding environment. Varied, and unique, they are nonetheless consonant in their architecture and are grouped around a central, European-style plaza.

The architectural style is contemporary, with a nod to tropical traditions, and is a depar ture from the monolithic modernist towers that once stood on the site.

The difference is both physical and philosophical. Unlike traditional public housing projects, whose fully-enclosed, inward-looking building design invited comparisons to prison yards or jail cells, the new Renaissance Square is designed to look outward toward the community of Hato Rey, home to the island’s financial district. Ample parkways, green spaces, playgrounds and fitness areas are strategically positioned throughout the neighborhood to promote the health and wellness of the community.

The project is equally forward-looking in terms of its pioneering approach to its environmentally friendly design.

The buildings are positioned to take full advantage of existing sun and wind path patterns to maximize natural light and cross ventilation. Rooftops spor t photovoltaic solar panels to offset traditional electricity costs and minimize the community’s carbon footprint. Ex terior windows are double-paned to fur ther reduce energy consumption by the buildings’ high-eff iciency cooling systems. Renaissance Square marks the f irst stage in the rollout of the greater Mar tín Peña Channel Project.

In 2017, the design won the Multi-Housing News Excellence Gold Award in the Unbuilt: Affordable category.

Floor plan | Main floor NTS

Night view of Building A’s main façade

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Building A’s main façade Aerial view of the construction site Building B’s main façade

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Open area views

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GATSBY DEPARTMENT STORE Dominican Republic & Venezuela 2011

When fashion consor tium Gatsby planned to expand their retail operations to the Caribbean and Latin American markets, the owners contacted AD&V to rebrand in order to attract young fashion-savvy, female millennials as the focus of their new vision. With that in mind, the company invested in an eco-friendly design, created by AD&V, in keeping with the 21st-century tastes and values of this new generation of shoppers.

The f irst 17,000 square-foot, thir ty-foot high-ceilinged store was chosen to be built in Isla Margarita, Venezuela.

AD&V’s challenge was achieving the necessary brightness for proper retail display using only environmentally-friendly LED lighting with an overhead network of translucent Tensof lex beams. Lit from within, the beams suppor t an intricate system of directional lighting that not only complements the LED lighting but creates a visually arresting motif of asymmetrical crisscrossing lines, which repeats throughout the store.

With an eye to both economy and eco-consciousness, upcycled materials were used whenever possible.

Wallpaper created from strips of recycled newspaper was hung along the walls. Two colorful T-shir t chairs, woven entirely from fabric remnants, were placed on prominent display. Brightly-colored ottomans crafted from leftover scraps of neoprene (traditionally used to make flip-flop sandals) provided lively pops of color.

The store’s innovative design flipped potential drawbacks into assets and today exudes an urban directness and honesty that resonates well with a younger clientele.

In 2014, the design won the AIA Best of Interiors Award, Honorable Mention, for Puer to Rico.

Central aisle

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Wall detail Ceiling light decoration Fitting rooms Lounge area

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Jeans display Upcycled T-shir t chairs Upcycled neoprene stools Wiggle chairs made out of corrugated cardboard

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