Rincon House, Rincon, Puerto Rico
for
role
status
year
GSA
Principal
Unbuilt
2000
The project called for a shared residence for two surfers and their families as a vacation home and weekend getaway. The brief stipulated that the house should provide adequate privacy for each of the families while, at the same time, engendering opportunities for congregation and shared living.
The sloping site was set in from the ocean on a wooded hill top and the neighboring ocean-side house constrained the ability to create views. To overcome this constraint, the house inverted the conventional hierarchy by positioning the private spaces below and public spaces above. Thus, the private domains of the bedrooms formed a base, accessible from grade on top of which the living spaces are set allowing them to gain the height over the tree line to capture sea views.
Additionally, the stacked volumes are sheared along the axis of the vertical circulation thereby forming two diametrically opposed courtyards for each of the owners and their families which were independently accessible at ground level. The sheering of the volumes also assisted to break down the mass of the house while exposing the maximum views to the ocean from the second level living spaces.
The entry grade allows for entry at the mid-level living spaces. The entry also provides direct access by the exterior stair to the most public space of the roof terrace and yoga studio. This facilitated clients and guests’ direct access to the yoga studio and roof terrace without having to enter the house.
