Collective Void

Socially interconnected vertical terraces shape a new student dormitory in Ponce, Puerto Rico 

Located in Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico and its former capital, the new student dormitory has a capacity for 120 students. Part of a new masterplan trying to attract students from across the region, the project aims to create a new urban presence to help more fluidly integrate the academic life of the university campus with the rest of the city.

Located at the end of a “cul-de-sac” in a low-density neighborhood, the project intends to be a social node for academic experience in proximity to urban life. Our proposal induces social interaction between students and other visitors in a vertical outdoor environment through a “collective void” that spatially articulates and socially unifies the building. This collective void offers a range of spaces for recreation and study, giving students the opportunity to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze and unprecedented urban views towards the ocean and Ponce’s historic center.

Using a perforated skin to increase contrast with the void, the facade is articulated with a recursively changing size of both panels and openings to allow natural light and ventilation into every room. Unlike other dormitory buildings, the project is clearly indeterminate in its urban presence, defying immediate readings in both program and scale.