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V Architecture THE HUMAN CONNECTION V Architecture’s vision is to bring collective knowledge to create new and better solutions for their clients.
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oZ WORLD MEDIA, LLC 1330 New Hampshire Avenue Suite B1 Washington D.C. 20036 Construction Leaders Today is a quarterly B2B trade journal that services the construction industry in architecture, custom build, geothermal, green building, specialty architecture, posttentioning, and new technology sectors. CLT has a readership of 100,000 C-Level executives within the energy industry. We do not accept subscription requests from the general public, however an abbreviated version is available on our website.
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ARCHITECTURE THE TRUE INTEGRATION OF VISION AND ARCHITECTURE IS THE HUMAN CONNECTION. by Johanna Gretschel
V Architecture’s vision is to bring collective knowledge to create new and better solutions for their clients. With the new millennium bringing fast changes, Ricardo Jiménez and José A. Rodríguez Barceló, the founders of Jiménez + Rodríguez Barceló, AIA (JRB), began to discuss a new generation of Principals to lead the Firm. Having always offered pragmatic design solutions and integrated project management, the Principals looked internally for the building blocks to create their new Vision: V Architecture PSC. The seamless transition of the firm from the founding Principals to the new generation of leaders took place while the firm was completing the Puerto Rico Convention Center. Collaborating with some of the top design talent in the continental US, the team was able to sharpen their project management and leadership skills to create a strong foundation for the new firm. It was at that time that architect Ilia M. Ríos, while working as the Project
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INTEGRATED DESIGN SOLUTIONS, INC Integrated Design Solutions, Inc (IDS) and its subsidiary idsOFFICE. is a contract furniture sales and installation company. IDS joins local architect firms to provide the best solutions to the clients. V Architecture is among those firms and is considered one of the most important architecture firms in Puerto Rico. V Architecture’s principal, Architect Illia Rios, worked hand in hand with idsOFFICE in the product selection, space planning, color scheme and installation process of Nestle new Caguas facilities and Marketing and Development for Lopito, Ileana & Howie resulting in 100% clients satisfaction. Illia Rios is highly competitive, responsible, and all around great person. IDS considers their partnership with V Architecture a great experience.
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“A BENEFIT OF V ARCHITECTURE, ONE
OF THE LARGEST FIRMS IN PUERTO RICO, IS THAT WE HAVE A CLOSE KNIT GROUP OF PROFESSIONALS BRINGING PASSION, EXPERIENCE AND STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE TO EVERY PROJECT.”
Manager for the Convention Center, became a Principal at V Architecture and immediately the President and Managing Principal. The 580,000 sq. ft. Puerto Rico Convention Center was by no doubt an important milestone in JRB/Vs history being one of the largest architectural projects in the island. Groundbreaking took place in 2000 on the new Convention Center District located on a former military installation and construction was finished in 2005. The building accommodates a 150,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall, 40,000 sq. ft. meeting/banquet space, a 40,000 sq. ft. ballroom space and 110,000 sq. ft.of circulation space. “We worked diligently to create a distinctive, vibrant and unique public assembly facility overlooking the waterfront that represents Puerto Rico as a world-class business tropical destination recreating the flora and fauna of the island in a resort-like environment,” Ríos said. For V/JRB the current trend of eco-friendly architecture has always been part of their mission and an example of this is the Fomento Headquarters (PRIDCO Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company) built in 1984 and Citibank Headquarters built in 1988. Both projects were designed to maximize the environmental considerations of the site as well as building efficiency. “Since we are an island, sustainability has always been integrated into our culture,” said Ríos. Architect Rios as well as three other Associates and Principals of the firm are LEED certified by the Green Building Council Institute and are currently working on the design of the World Trade Office Building, which is expected to be LEED Silver certified upon its completion. Since its conception, V Architecture has been committed to the development of high performance architecture in every project. V Architecture’s strength comes from sharing their knowledge, experience and resources to achieve a quality project, while maintaining the client’s objectives. For V Architecture, the human factor of vision and architecture is an integral element necessary for conceiving, design and building successful projects for today and the future. “A benefit of V Architecture, one of the largest firms in Puerto Rico, is that we have a close knit group of professionals bringing passion, experience and standards of excellence to every project,” she said. Rios feels proud of leading the new generation of the firm, V Architecture, and considers the vision of its predecessors, JRB, the keystone for success. “Even though V Architecture is a seven-year-old firm, we have the background of JRB and JRB’s extraordinary 30 year experience is definitely an integral part of V,” she said. “It’s just a matter of keeping it up and improving every detail we can.” CLT Fall 2010 7
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