Walk up complexes had taken the island by storm since the 1980's and are still seen today as an excellent opportunity to own an affordable place in the suburbs. It could be said that the suburban area of Guaynabo is what it is today (seen by many as an "expensive and prestigious" suburban community), thanks to this typology of living. In a matter of a decade, Guaynabo has turned from being a lush countryside town to an overpopulated area full of walk ups and expensive neighborhoods. Now developers have less cheap land in Guaynabo to get and are selling walk ups with a price tag of normal size houses. For many this type of housing is preferred since it is seen as a more secure, affordable and low maintenance option compared to a regular house.
Site plan and Perspective of Alborada showing all parking located underground and periferal balconies/circulation routes.
Currently under construction, Alborada is a new Walk up complex located in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed by Pina and Associates. This Walk up features simple strategies for thermal comfort that can be viewed as a unique example to follow for other projects of this type. Among these strategies are: underground parking lots, central courtyards, outdoor spaces though most of its periphery, high ceilings, upper section windows and cross ventilation in all circulation routes.
What makes this project unique as a walk up complex is the fact that every building is organized around a central courtyard, giving each apartment an opportunity for cross ventilation and maximum sunlight.
High ceilings located in common recreational areas are great for warm weather since the hot air rises and the spaces below stay cooler naturally. It is ideal to have openings in the upper section of the wall structure to allow this hot air to escape and circulate.
Open circulation routes in stairs and hallways allow air to move freely across these areas.
The placement of all parking spaces under each of the buildings replaces the common practice of surrounding the walk ups with black tar and spaces for cars, leaving it instead for a natural landscape and common areas.
For this blog post, all drawings and photos have been provided by Evelio Pina.
No comments:
Post a Comment