02 ] Faculty Center

Period  :   6 weeks

Critic:    George Hipolito

UPR - Faculty Center.

The necessity for a Faculty Center at the University of Puerto Rico came from the professors living in the campus residences.  Being an enclosed system of residences, accessible entertainment is not available within walking distance.  An existing abandoned building became the main prospect for rehabilitation for the means of a Faculty Center.  It is an Old Mission Style Dairy and has been abandoned for decades. The program asked for more space than what was available, so a new structure was required.  This structure was designed conceptually, in opposition to the existing one, but detailed in a way that both structures were fused together becoming one complete system. These opposites were viewed in terms of structure, materials, proportions, orientation, scale, views and enclosure.  The development of the design starts from a focal point in the existing structure plan and radiating axes that start forming the idea for the new building structure.