Puerto Rican mixed-use, mixed income housing development begins construction
By David Malone, Associate Editor
The Jose Gautier Benitez development is officially under construction on a 21-acre site in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The site will be divided into six residential blocks that includes five streets dedicated to family housing, and one reserved for elderly housing.
Designed by Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón (AD&V), the largest architecture and interior design firm in Puerto Rico, the development will feature 438 new one- and two-bedroom apartments and a five-story elderly housing facility that includes resident lounges, community rooms, fitness rooms, and game rooms. Site improvements include new landscaping, street lighting, parking, walkways, playgrounds, and community gardens.
The Jose Gautier Benitez development was designed with energy conservation and resiliency measures at the forefront. These measures include stormproof windows, environmentally conscious building materials and methods, energy efficient appliances, photovoltaic panels, emergency power generation, and universal design. “In the wake of Hurricane Maria and other recent storms, Puerto Rico has learned the hard way that it must design and construct new buildings with sustainability in mind,” said Cristina Villalón, Managing Principal and Interior Designer of AD&V. “This means not only ensuring all our structures – from affordable housing to high-end residences and hotels – are built to withstand future natural disasters, but that they also have a more limited impact on the environment.“
See Also: Mixed-use community breaks ground in Greenville, S.C.
AD&V is serving as both the architect and interior designer of the project.
