curtain wall house
residential addition & renovation
Type: Residential
Location: Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Year: 2023
Status: Built
Design Team: Armando Rigau, Silvana Herrera & Ryan Glick
Collaborators: Pedro Marrero & Jason Chavez (contractor)
Description: For the addition and renovation of a 1930s structure in Breñas, Vega Alta, we converted a beach house into a primary residence. Though lacking in historical significance, the home holds immense emotional value for its owner, who grew up there and inherited it from her father. Thus, we proposed adding a “curtain wall,” but not in the conventional sense of literal glass. Rather, we conceptually wrapped a phenomenal envelope around the original structure. A new continuous roof “floats” over the pre-existing house, anchored on three concrete “curtain walls” and on delicate steel columns. This modern addition preserves the old, while simultaneously revitalizing the dwelling’s appearance.
Inside, the original layout was unbalanced, with a bedroom facing the front and the living area and kitchen confined to the rear. Thus, we rotated the program 90 degrees to realign the private bedrooms towards the back and the more social areas to the main façade.
To further activate the front, we covered the original balcony with folding doors, enabling the possibility of multiple configurations depending on different types of uses. These adaptable, operable doors provide the occupants with the flexibility to alter the spatial configuration depending on the occasion. For instance, when the owner wants privacy, she can just crack the windows open, but if her whole family visits, she can open them completely. This creates an interstitial zone that blurs the boundary between inside and out, making the house feel more expansive.
The new suspended plane stretches to the side and back, where one “curtain wall” marks the main entry and the other screens an outdoor shower. In this project, the dialogue between old and new creates interesting perspectives that alternate between linear, planar, and volumetric readings of the architecture. As a finishing touch, we integrated a custom-designed house number that mirrors the geometry of the “curtain wall.”
Awards:
2025 Honorable Mention for Built Work, Renovations & Additions, American Institute of Architects Puerto Rico. The jury, composed of architects José Luis Álvarez, Yanel de Ángel Salas, Graciela Carrillo, Francisco Elías, and Giancarlo Mazzanti, noted: ““A renovation that confirms that the contemporary can integrate with the historical without erasing its essence, reminding us of the value of adapting and transforming rather than demolishing. The original concept of functionality remained intact after the renovation. A fine example of implementing passive ventilation techniques adapted to a contemporary building.”
2025 People’s Choice Award, Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico (CAAPPR)
