Aeronautical and Aerospace Institute / Toro Arquitectos

Paola Quevedo

Architects

Toro Arquitectos

Location

Rafael Hernndez Airport (BQN), 405 Hangar, Aguadilla, Aguadilla 00604,Puerto

Rico

Design Team

Jos Javier Toro, Luis Rodrguez, Alejandro Castro, Josean Merced Domenech, Jos
Luis Pagan, Jonathan Vzquez

Area

3000.0 sqm

Project Year

2015

Photographs

Paola Quevedo

+31

Lighting Design

George Sexton Associates

Structural Engineer

Fernando Corts

Mechanical Engineer

William Reichard

Electrical Engineer

Requena y Asociados

Contractor

Desarrollos Metropolitanos
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 Paola Quevedo
From the architect. The new Aeronautical and Aerospace Institute of Puerto Rico spearheads
a nascent commercial aircraft maintenance industry on the island. Planned, designed and built
concurrently with a new Lufthansa Technik Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
Hangar at what was formerly Ramey Air Force base and is now Borinquen Airport on the north
western tip of Puerto Rico, this school will prepare mechanics for employment in fields related to
aeronautics and aerospace. The Institute will also provide continuing professional training to
those seeking new aircraft certifications and professional development.
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 Paola
Quevedo

The school is composed of a new classroom building, an existing hangar converted to

workshops and labs as well as a small engine testing facility.

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Paola Quevedo
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Section
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 Paola Quevedo
The new classroom building here presented, oriented parallel to the airports runway, is a
concrete and glass core surrounded by a corridor sheathed in semi- transparent polycarbonate
panels that evoke the highly technical nature of the subjects taught in this academic building.
Ten centimeters gaps between each panel provide ventilation to the corridors and contain
inexpensive weatherproof fluorescent light fixtures oriented inwards.

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Section
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 Paola Quevedo
During the day the building appears as a solid element from the outside, but one is able to see
out from the inside through the semi- transparent panels. As night falls, the effect is reversed
and the building becomes a translucent beacon at the airport. The severity of the concrete is
softened by colorful doorways, which help identify particular classrooms or offices. These colors
also come alive at night, gently livening the design.
http://www.archdaily.com/777467/aeronautical-and-aerospace-institute-toroarquitectos