We All Need Affordable Housing.  

A house is not just a building. It is a home—a place that shelters, protects and nurtures its occupants. It supports their personal and professional development and offers a safe harbor.

Affordable housing is not a handout. It is a necessity. For years, the middle class has been squeezed as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. At the same time, the cost to rent or purchase housing has become less affordable for millions of Americans.

President Trump’s election has affordable housing developers on pins and needles and numerous U.S. cities and housing advocates predicting disaster.

The newly elected president’s pledge to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent has prompted large banks and other investors to back away from tax credits that reduce their tax burden in exchange for investing in low-income housing projects.

It’s annoying; it can be dangerous; it changes the natural life cycles of humans and wildlife.  

It’s artificial light going in all directions and getting into areas where it shouldn’t be, to begin with.

You’ve seen it before. It’s all around us, in the form of city lights, creating a halo around the skyline. Or in the illumination outside certain buildings to make them seem notorious and important.

On the highways, it’s those bright digital billboards that distract you from driving safely and even hurt your eyes. At home, it’s that annoying light coming from your neighbor’s patio that creeps in through the window and makes it hard to fall asleep.

It’s called light pollution and it affects us all.

April not only marks Earth Month and Earth Day, but it also celebrates World Landscape Architecture Month.  

Among the numerous green or eco-friendly measures environmentalists and nature lovers champion to save the planet are sustainable urban landscapes.

When you sustain your resources, they sustain you. 

In sustainable architecture and interior design, designers seek to minimize the negative impact of buildings on the environment by applying to their designs innovative green methods—involving energy-saving technology, sustainable materials, recycling, repurposing and other elements that support long-term ecological balance.

Indeed, balance is key. As good citizens, we must balance our need to consume natural resources with the planet's need to conserve them. We can truly flourish only in a flourishing environment.

April is Earth Month. There's no better time than now to make small changes that can have huge positive consequences for our planet. 

Earth Month stems from Earth Day, established on April 22, 1970, when thousands of colleges, universities, secondary and primary schools as well as hundreds of communities throughout the U.S. joined to call for environmental reform and "save the planet." Over the years, Earth Day evolved into Earth Week and then into Earth Month.

When designing and building affordable housing, the importance of a healthy partnership between architects and real estate developers cannot be overstated.  

Given the complexity of the affordable housing development process—involving community needs, sustainable design, numerous location considerations, government approvals and many other critical details—teamwork on these projects is essential to ensure their ultimate success.

Now in its full development phase, Las Gladiolas Community Development starts to materialize as the landmark affordable housing project we envisioned. 

Follow us on this exciting journey, as we continue advancing Puerto Rico’s affordable housing transformation.

We know that good architecture could be beautiful, inviting, accessible and long lasting. We also know that it could be sustainable, affordable, functional and socially responsible. But what makes it great?  

Great architecture can make our world a better place by creating a positive experience. In other words, great design not only transforms spaces, but it also can transform our experience of the world, connecting with us on an emotional level. Great design, therefore, is thoughtful.

Reshaping society’s health and wellness through the power of architectural design.  

There’s more to architecture than just buildings! Discover how great architectural design can enhance your quality of life and transform your experience of the world.

What does it mean for a building to have a "Sense of Place"? 

Through our work, we focus on giving our designs both individuality and a sense of place.

We carefully consider the geographical area surrounding a project, as well as the location's history and culture, in order to provide the absolute best experience for residents, neighbors, and visitors.

Check out how we design with a Sense of Place in our latest video!

HOUSE BILL THREATENS TO END PLASTIC BAG BAN IN PUERTO RICO.

Plastic bags are in the news again, here at home and abroad.

The battle over their functionality and economy versus their negative effect on wildlife and the environment is once again heating up in Puerto Rico as environmental groups protest legislation that would reverse a plastic bag ban on the island.

Take a closer look at what our founders call a typical day at work! 

Recently, El Nuevo Día followed Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz and Cristina Villalón for an entire day, as part of the video series, "Un día con..."  in order to give you an intimate glimpse at how they manage a work-life balance, which includes raising a family in Puerto Rico, handling numerous professional commitments, and growing a leading Architecture and Interior Design firm.

The benefits of mixed-income affordable housing are abundant.

Affordable Housing Development can improve the individual lives of residents and support the local workforce by providing well-constructed, decent housing while revitalizing distressed neighborhoods, promoting social integration, boosting an area's economic health and building communities.

The sustainable development of towns and cities moves forward at landmark summit

This past October, world leaders and key representatives from the 193 member states of the United Nations were invited to meet in Quito, Ecuador for the celebration of Habitat III—the third world summit to take place over the course of four decades since its conception in 1976— directed toward promoting socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities— and specifically, providing adequate shelter for all. 

No business development plan and no relationship management endeavor would be complete without a networking strategy. Networking helps you position yourself, build your professional assets and propel your business forward.

It literally takes a village to achieve success in the affordable housing development industry.

Successful affordable housing development requires the skills, actions, and collaboration of capable people in every sector of the industry. Many of the top developers in the U.S. cite a strong partnership approach as the foundation for their accomplishments.

7 WAYS AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

For most people, housing is their greatest —and most stressful—expense.

Lack of affordable housing continues to strangle the budgets of mid- and low-income families, with many spending more than 50 percent of their income on rents and mortgages, while living one paycheck away from facing foreclosure and homelessness.

Is experience creation the new reality in the hospitality business?

For the greater part of the twentieth century, the hospitality industry focused on creating cocoons of comfort where travellers could repose, nurture, and refresh themselves, while safely exploring the exoticism of other cities, cultures, and customs.
The goal of the hospitality industry at the time was simply to create a safety zone where one might dip one’s toe in a bit of strangeness during the daytime— with the guarantee of a warm bed and an equally warm (and recognizable) meal at night.