carolina fine arts school

Davis, Fúster Arquitectos

2000- A.I.A. Honor Award

This project -specialized school defined by a complex program- is committed to the maximum recycling of existing structures and to the physical unification of these detached buildings. The development incorporates existing and new structures by creating exterior areas and spatial sequences that allude to the traditional urban center of the town of Carolina. The four (4) different fine arts departments, auxiliary buildings, and a 500-seat theater are organized around courtyards and plazas, each one with its own character and particular function. The incorporation of nature and the exploitation of detail creates new plastic and spatial possibilities in the exploration of a contemporary Caribbean esthetic. Elements such as the iron grille, the framing of façades, containment walls, natural light/ventilation and the "plastic" expression of reinforced concrete (wide overhangs, inverted beams, etc.), take on particular importance when they are viewed through the physical and cultural realities that inform our region. The complex alludes to the fortifications in Old San Juan -magnificent building solutions to the problem of geometric disjunction. This project was reviewed by 'Florida/Caribbean Architect' magazine (Spring, 1988), in 'El Nuevo Dia' newspaper 'Revista Domingo' section (March 5, 2000). and Architectural Record (February 2002).