This project is an education and culture center in the historic district in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The plan consisted of an urban design masterplan for the area known as the “Puntilla” and an infill adaptive reuse project in the site of a deteriorated historic ruin known as “El Fortín”. The Puntilla area had suffered from decades of bad planning and urban design choices which left it inaccessible for pedestrians and isolated from the beachfront. The masterplan created a connection between the town and the seascape using walkable connective axis to frame views into the sea. The street was adjusted to a human scale along with wider sidewalks, vegetation, urban furnishings and street parking. Public spaces and parks were redefined and made accessible.
The building itself responded to determinants of the context such as directional axis, views and passive environmental controls to provide light and cross ventilation. The materiality chosen is a response to the immediate context and historic nature of the surrounding buildings. The project itself serves to open the city to the sea and provides gathering spaces with different levels of privacy. The program includes an exhibition courtyard, amphitheater, classrooms, restaurant and a library and administrative offices. The existing ruin was stabilized and incorporated into the design as part of the main exhibitions courtyard.