U2 House

I stumbled across this image a while back and it reminded me of the concept Bigprototype roughed out for Lot 5 at Dos Ceibas.

DOS CEIBAS Building Green

This video is the 2nd of a 4 part series featuring Dos Ceibas entitled "Conscious Living." These videos by MTV Networks tell the story of our collaboration with BigPrototype as we explore sustainable strategies building custom tropical homes here in Rincón, PR.

Some of these strategies are dramatic, like the green roof on the Little Malibu House. Others, like orienting each home to take advantage of the prevailing trade winds, are more subtle, but equally significant.

Shot in Rincón, PR in December 2008, the videos would not have been possible without the help of the Uncharted Studio's Tony Dooley who saved the shoot. And, big ups to the Little Malibu boys for taking the plunge and making this thing real.

Check out the video above or watch it here, then please share it with friends and family.

Solar Hot Water Heater

We recently made the switch from our dinosaur electric hot water heater to our spiffy new modern solar hot water heater. Can I tell you how smart I felt by doing so?

It all started back in May when Leon and I discovered a leak coming through our fairly newly installed IKEA light fixture over the kitchen sink. As new home owners that don't know anything about home repairs, we went into a state of panic. Our one saving grace was that our "miracle leak" occurred right over the kitchen sink. You really can't ask for a better spot to have a leak. We felt blessed.

We consulted with a handful of contractors, roofers and handymen. The first thing we did was pull the entire seal off our roof to determine what kind of crack we were dealing with. Well....let me tell you, one doesn't realize one has a leak until it's rainy season in the tropics. One also doesn't realize how bad the leak is until one has no seal on the roof.

Once the seal was removed and we discovered enough cracks to break my mothers back. Our miracle leak turned into multiple miracle leaks. We got another one directly over the bathroom shower, and another one over our kitchen cabinet that just so happened to have a chip and dip platter resting directly beneath it. I was finally able to prove my point to Leon that the platter would someday be used. Chips it hasn't held, water is has.

We finally got a break in the weather and were able to seal the roof with Crossco 8500, a product that seems to be working ok and is available at Home Depot. The following day we had PR Solar Products come out to install the solar hot water heater. We purchased an 80 gallon tank with three panels. Basically we have enough hot water for our entire neighborhood to take showers, do laundry, wash dishes and do whatever else one does with hot water. It took less than 2 hours for the entire system to be installed and we had scalding hot water immediately.

The best part about it is that we get a 50% tax credit on the total amount paid ($2000). If we had installed it last year we would have received a 75% tax credit. Now our electric bill should be reduced significantly. I'm actually looking forward to receiving our next electric bill so I can see the reduction. Not only will we be saving money but other added values of the solar hot water heater are reduced CO2 emissions, added value to our home, free hot water and we can feel good about being environmentally friendly.

Rincon is the highlife

I am Henry Smith, the current intern at Big Prototype. Last week my internship (John Nafziger and Sarah Strauss) brought me to Rincon, in order to work onsite at the Little Malibu home and Dos Ceibas development. I embarked on this trip with little knowledge about puerto rico other than the Dos Ceibas development. Needless to say I was in for a splendid surprise. From the moment I landed, I was surrounded by warm weather and thick lush green tropical scenery. I believe it was at that moment that i said, this is going to be a great week..., and it only got better. Soon I was indulging in some of the most delicious cuisine. I met the locals who were all very friendly and hospitable. There was a just very relaxing laid back aura about this place. Every day, before and after work, I went swimming and snorkeling in the ocean. I experience the most awe inspiring spectacles of coral reef, who's dire fates were reversed and saved by the persistent work of Leon Richter and the Surfrider Foundation. The corals, being the keystone species of that ecosystem, rendered themselves as condominiums of refuge for the other beautiful living organisms that dwelled there. I couldn't get enough of it. 

Work was an amazing experience. I was working on the Little Malibu home. The house itself is a modern marvel. It is not your average home by any means. This house incorporates a beautiful modern aesthetic, prestigious amenities for tropical island functionality, breathtaking captivating views, and cutting edge technologies for environmental responsibility and self-sustainability. Not only is it a beautiful home conducive to never ending great experiences, but it also has a symbiotic harmonious relationship with the environment that it shares space with. It requires far less external resources. Many homes resist, over-consume, and detrimentally impact the land they sit on, but this house embraces the natural flow, in all facets, of the land that it rests upon. So the best part of this trip, for me, wasn't only to be working in perfect conditions with mesmerizing views and easy ocean/pool accessibility. But really it was the feeling of being a part of this new positive green revolution, that is the future, not only of architecture and design, but of every living aspect of society.

So now as I sit in my little space in New York surrounded by noise and concrete, and reflect on my relatively short time in Rincon, I reflect upon one of the greatest relaxing exhilarating experiences of my life. I hope to return very soon to the Highlife of Rincon, Puerto Rico.

Colors of Lil Bu

Coming Soon to Vieques

One of the most interesting and innovative building projects we've encountered in PR is El Blok, a 22 room boutique hotel in enchanting Esperanza, Vieques "that is part sculpture and part contemporary tropical oasis."

This hotel will be LEED certified, features a roof top pool and will include a bar and restaurant serving locally grown food. It will be a while before you can book a reservation (set to open in late 2010), but once you can, be sure you do. Beyond the green design and mission, El Blok will unquestionably feature some of PR's finest hospitality. We should know... The owners are our friends Simon and Marija and we have experienced their special breed of hospitality on many occasions.

Read more about the project as reported in Caribbean Business.

INTERN TACKLES TOPO!

Summer intern, Henry Smith, hard at work with BigPrototype. Using the new laser cutter technology, Henry is creating a comprehensive site model of the Dos Ceibas development in Rincon, PR with contours of 0.5 meters.

Henry is stoked to be in NYC for the summer and wants to send a shout out to Leon and his brother, Chewy, for hooking up the sweet gig!