Internet Resources for Architecture and Urban Design in the Caribbean
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Oficinas Legislativas
San Juan Puerto Rico, 1955
Toro Ferrer y Torregrosa
Exhibition by AACUPR
in English and Spanish
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Facade view towards Casa de España
Hallways and Stairs
Another successful project conceived within the concept of the tropical grammar is the building for the Legislative Offices designed in 1955. This project in particular shows Toro and FerrerÕs design strategies when confronted with an intervention affecting a historical monument, (even though relatively recent): the Capitol Building. Their original proposal was the construction of a five story building in front of the Capitol, at the south side of Ponce de Leon Avenue. The building would be modern, but the firm recognized that it could not compete with the marbled facades of the Capitol. In order to diminish the scale of the building and to fit the new structure with the Capitol, they developed a brise-soleil that hid the five stories. ÒTo stress the relationship [between both buildings],Ó
An ahistorical interpretation of the Capitol of Puerto Rico allowed the architects to develop the brise-soleils for the Legislative Offices Buildings. Their analysis, based on the size and proportion of the rusticated base of the Capitol, permitted the new building to integrate in a subtle manner with the historical monument. Ferrer said, Òthe size of each rectangle of the brise-soleil is identical to the size of the marble stones in the Capitol.Ó Finally, and in accordance with their decision to subdue their project to the Capitol, the site was changed and the building was located discreetly in the site of the formal gardens that flanked the Capitol. Nevertheless, elements such as the brise-soleil and the scale of the building established the design criteria for the final building.
From the exhibition panels
Caribe Hilton ¥ Residencia Rodríguez ¥ Oficinas Legislativas ¥ Corte Suprema
Toro Ferrer y Torregrosa 1945-1955
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