A cliffside structure in the caribbean

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

Friends

This is our proposal for a structure to be built along the cliffside boundery of a 192 unit seafront residential development in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. The structure is meant to house any number of several recreational activities while providing a powerful overview of the steep and rough northern shore of our island.

HSS columns with wooden joists make up the portico. The roof doubles as a boardwalk, and access is provided by means of a large site staircase ( not shown ) that settles down within a stone faced inner patio, and access is made straight through independent doors, no corridors are provided herein.

The slanted glazing is substituted with woven stainless steel along the perimeter of the project's infinity edge pool. Each intercolumnar module should approximate 1000 sq. ft.in size. It is a really long and winding building.

We have developed floor plans which we plan to post further down the road.

Your comments, as always, are most welcome.

Saludos

Juan

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

Another image

[chedda]

Very dynamic structure Juan. However to comment more i would like to see the building in context. Otherwise its just a floating object which as it stands has good formal qualities. Did you model the cliff face seperately ? I think a good site model will inform your design more. Very James Bond at the moment i can see a fight on that roof followed by a tumble down the front for the bad guy!

[franjayo]

You are on a roll Juan! Looks very interesting. I would also look forward to see and understand more of the project and context.

[kwistenbiebel]

Maybe a little off topic:
i am curious how you performed a 'copy following path' in sketchup.

About the project: looks promising. I just wait for a bit more info and context to start commenting.
Juan, did you take a look at the 'room with a view' thread? A lot of inspirational views there.


regards,
Kwisten

[ReD]

I would like to see more on the site as well ~ I am concerned mainly with the overall effect & impact on the landscape & cliff skyline

On a practical note ...
I have concerns over glass cleaning (yes everyone ..I know it sounds boring but this could be a major problem for Juan in maintaining the look & appeal of the design over time)
Also as regards getting the curved glazing to work neatly how are you intending to make the glass panels work? ~ I'm thinking are the end panels trapezoid ? or are you going to make glass square with standard panels & with intermediate junctions trapezoidal ? ...Or are you doing it all individually tailored ??

I admire the output of your small office by the way ... in the meantime I will get back to my own projects & working on that Kitchen Extension for Mrs Trellis in North Wales.

[BruceWalker]

I like it so far - but as others have said, some context would be great.

[sandropc]

Hola Juan!!
I see that you have a lot of work lately!!!, I'm glad of that. :cheers:

About your project, it looks interesting, but I agree with the others frieds that we need more information in order to have more clear understanding of it, so could you please put more feed back.

Un abrazo.

Sandro

[Richard]

Juan

I simply love this project mate! Stunning!

As the others suggest it would be lovely to see some context.

As Red suggests glass cleaning could be a major issue, not so certain it will be from the outside but internally as people touch and lean on the glass I can see some inevitable problems and may suggest an internal rail to separate people from the glass may not be so welcomed but maybe a worthwhile consideration.

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

Friends

This is a dated brochure of the original project, which has changed substantially along the way. The recreational facilities or Mirador as I feel we should call them, are set just below the sightline of the pool shown, the idea is to avoid obstructing the view. The site is placed some 120 feet above sealevel. The open area of the facilities would be just below the infinity edge pool.

And yes, I have tried to use the hipped roof before! This time it was nixed due to its cost and significantly diminished.

Saludos

Juan

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

The units

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

The pool

The cliffside stucture lies below this level

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

ReD

All glazing is trapezoidal, with some means of self cleaning being thought in, still undefined.

Richard

Railings are a must! Will do.

Fransisco

I wish money and work came to shore at the same time, still I am always grateful to be able to live of what I have committed myself to.



As we are developing drawings now I'll keep you posted.

Saludos

Juan

[ReD]

On a previous job of mine with similar cleaning problems we used a cherry picker although that was driven at ground level ... but you have the problem with undercutting the overhang & it will need counterbalancing as well
The roof deck could form the track route for the cherry picker ~ check manuf's info & suggestions

self cleaning glass needs to get wet to work

[mperna]

[QUOTE=kwistenbiebel]Maybe a little off topic:
i am curious how you performed a 'copy following path' in sketchup.

There is a ruby script available at www.smustard.com

really usefull:D

[feigetl]

Nice project, I really love the pool.

[K-Springs]

I have 220 acres in Grande Prairie, Alberta Canada, with natural springs on it. This is a fast growing community in the oil patch. My land has a bank overlooking an old lake bed. Your project is something I have envisioned for this site. Ever get involved with us Canadians?

[ReD]

Juan (or anyone else)

I notice lots of designs now feature externally sloped glazing like this.
It was done quite often in late 60's early 70's but then sort of disappeared from the architect's designs & is now coming back to the fore.
I like things to have a reason other than aesthetics & it was explained to me in those earlier days that it had less reflection from the glass

Question I raise ... is there now any other thinking, benefit or logic behind doing it? If it is to avoid reflection then any recommendations for ceiling treatment ie dark / light colours? It just so happens I have a client who is keen on the idea so it is not just idle curiosity

Also any recommended slope / pitch for the glazing?

[SWANK-E]

Nice project, I really love the pool.

WHY do you like it? If you haven't read this thread (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4339), please do

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

ReD

Pitched glazing is really a means of widening the perception of proximity to the edge, as it widens ( or heightens ) our field of vision. If you ponder on the slant given to the glazing in the salon of the Hindenburg you'll get an idea as to my particular intentions.

Several manufacturers ( Keene for example ) recommend a 23 degree pitch to achieve self washing, that is for a normal pitched roof, I find no means of self washing available to glazing pitched as shown.

As for criticism, and comments, they are all most welcome. Silence, whither polite or indifferent , is, due to its nature, much more difficult to react to.

The CG images you see, the general site work , nor the graphic design of the promotional material of the project are by my hand. Of all the rest I am fully responsible.

Saludos

Juan

[ReD]

Hindenburg & Airport control Towers was actually what I thought of as examples.
In your case with views downward I see the reason but I have not found the logic behind doing it yet with views in the horizontal plane or even looking upward as in the case of the control tower.
Don't misunderstand I like the effect .. just looking for additional justification & logic behind doing it

[franjayo]

I did not expect the language of the apartments to be so traditional and different from the cliffside facilities. I can understand the owner to want a more traditional home like look in the apartments, which relates to the tile roof terraces.

I think a more compatible look and similar function could be achieved in the facilities with straight glass and some open balconies. I like the look of the facilities you have even more than the look of the apartments, but I am not so sure they go well with one another, actually the first impression is that they were designed by different architects.

I am surely guilty of doing similar things due to real life problems. Owners are more willing to risk it and put something different that does not look so residential into the communal areas.

I guess the facilities will be near and somehow integrated with the infinity pool area. It would be nice to know where you think of placing them on site.

The site is nice and historic. The area of Puerto Hermina down the cliffs is said to be the landing area for Cofresi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirata_Cofresi), the locally famous pirate.
"La guarida del pirata" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebradillas,_Puerto_Rico), or the pirate's hide-out, as it is known has a historic ruin, just east of the site. It is currently known for the indian head sculpture (http://solo23.abac.com/tony-alicea/prphotos/mistery.jpg) in the mountain.

[ryarch]

I'm with franjayo: the disconnect between the styles is confusing. I like your community center much better than the reisdences.

The sloped windows can create a powerful view, and they lend themselves to the dramatic curve of the building. I like them very much. The curve loses some of its continuity in the roof view, though. A 'clunky' transition in the middle of the building stops the fluid lines.

Lastly, I need more info on the area below the structure and the plans as they get further developed. Can you access the space below the curved glass? Decks, maybe? It is difficult to understand wether the grade has been sculptured, of the building has a base where the columns touch the ground.

More info, please. It is a graceful shape that I would like to understand more of.

[takesh h]

I don't have any problems with the combination of two languages here.
Although I wish the housing units were more on the line of "a cliff side structure", I know that kind of things rarely happen.
I don't see much problems in the mixture of languages because they site on very different conditions
(flat land vs. cliff side), and they have different functions. I do as well need more info on the site
and the structure itself, but I suspect those structures cannot be seen together even?

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

..... but I suspect those structures cannot be seen together even?


That is the reason they can be different. The facilities are not meant to be seen as you see them, from afar. The enclosure is merely a framework for the view, that is truly the main feature it is meant to enhance.

The appearance of the structure is irrelevant to the user, he never gets to see it. The roof of the structure is at the housing unit's ground level, you only see the curving wooden boardwalk....and the view.

The glazed spaces are accessed through a thick stoneclad wall, the view within should come as a surprise of sorts.

The infinity pool flows into the open terrace.

Fransisco
"La pegaste!", or as we would say in english:you caught me! You have an uncanny gift of pinpointing my otherwise anonymous projects.

The project's roof's changed, and are now somewhat more 'contemporary' in taste, yet if you see the way the balconies were handled, they were always modern in outlook. the difference in vocabulary was made due to the freedom the remote location and relative innaccessibility of the seaside facade provide me with. Still, the Owners wanted a strong distinctive feature to make this project a 'destination', or a place to go and enjoy outside the unit itself. Given this premise, I aimed to please here.

ReD
As you approach any edge, giddiness and perhaps an instinctive fear of falling make such proximity somewhat more exciting ( the expert here would be Richard of course), as the glazing leans over, you seem to do so too. This, together with the fact that the cliff is not truly vertical, provides a some justification to our efforts in gleaning a view of the surf pounding on the rocks below, as well as viewing the extraordinary horizon.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Saludos

Juan

[Richard]

For exactly Juan's comments and the disconnection of the stages of these developments I feel the differing styles can work.

Juan have you tested any designs that would reflect more that existing? Just to ask the question. Possibly by segmenting the curve more this would achieve at least a greater cohesiveness?

And I have to agree looking out and down certainly does add to the feeling of steepness!

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

Richard

The intent was to create a module that would then be quoted or bid upon, to provide a cost reference and then to build as many as the amount of units currently delivered would allow. I made the module work a wide curve instead of a tight one to allow for growth. The image illustrates the entire area. as it would be seen upon completion of the 192 units.

My idea of making it a curve was both related to the outline of the site ( I shall post some more drawings and images once my dsl is reinstalled at the office ) as it was to promoting the notion of not really being so sure as to where the space ends.

For all your insight, Richard, thank you.

By the way, Its always great to hear from you

Saludos

Juan

[koos]

Though you would like this...

[koos]

another view...