E-LODGE

In Condado, there's a very strong culture defined in many instances by the people's relationship with the beach. The strong connection that exists between that culture, the climate, and nature compelled us to use the water, or more precisely its movement, as an emblematic and organizing element in this sustainable guest house. In this way we aim to ground the architecture of the building to its context; we want it to be a sign of the playful and leisure culture that revolves around the sea in Condado, sought after by thousands of tourists every year. With this in mind we conceived an undulating sun shading screen allusive to the water movement and made of horizontal elements with the purpose of protecting the building’s south façade where all rooms are oriented.

A 3-story high contrasting rectilinear void perforates the screen from which all public places feed of. Public spaces are located in the upper floors, arranged by way of a split section with double and triple height spaces with the intention of promoting visual interaction between floors and take advantage of the views and prevailing winds of the place. In all public spaces the water theme is present by way of either views to the ocean, by textures, or by patterns that manifest through the different floor, wall or ceiling planes.

In terms of sustainable design, we propose passive conservation technologies that contribute to the ecological architecture discussion in Puerto Rico. An aggressive layer of solar PV panels are located at roof level of the guest house that together with the south facing undulating screen form a great skin that protects the building from sun impact while producing energy simultaneously. We take advantage of the prevailing winds by incorporating 2 wind turbines specifically designed for urban areas. We will also harvest rainwater for maintenance and cleaning purposes, and use permeable pavements at ground level to help reduce storm water runoff.