ABSTRACT
 Title of Document:                CINEMA AND ARCHITECTURE: DESIGNING FOR THE      
         PUERTO RICO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
          Meri?n L. Fuentes-Figueroa, Master of Architecture, 2011
 Directed by:       Luis Diego Quiros, Assistant Professor, School of 
          Architecture, Planning and Preservation
  Reality and Fiction collide, opposites interact and the local film culture is enhanced 
with the design of a home for the Puerto Rico International Film Festival. PRIFF is an 
opportunity to create a formal destination for individuals passionate about film and to 
establish the basis for a Puerto Rican film culture in a setting where users will interact and 
exchange ideas while they experience the shift between reality and fiction expressed in 
the architecture. The project is a hybrid idea that combines Cinemas, Cultural Center and 
Production Studios. It is a cultural hub that seats at the heart of a new master plan for an 
undeveloped site at the shore of the San Juan Bay.
CINEMA AND ARCHITECTURE: DESIGNING FOR THE PUERTO RICO 
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
 By
 Meri?n L. Fuentes-Figueroa
 Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the
 University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment
 of the requirements for the degree of
 Master of Architecture
 2011
 Advisory Committee:
 Luis Diego Quiros, Assistant Professor, Chair
 Brian P. Kelly, AIA, Associate Professor
 Carl Bovill, Associate Professor
? Copyright by 
Meri?n L. Fuentes-Figueroa 
2011
All satellite images in this document are copyright-free screenshots from Google Earth.
Dedication
 To my mother, Margarita.
 ii
Acknowledgements
  I would like to acknowledge my parents for their support and encouragement 
throughout the process and my sister Marangelly for being patient with me and supporting 
me along the way. I would like to thank Diana Manso for her assistance and for staying up 
with me during many ?arropes?.
 iii
 Contents 
Dedication............................................................................................................... ii
 Acknowledgements.................................................................................................iii
 Contents.................................................................................................................iv
 Figures....................................................................................................................v
 On Film Festivals....................................................................................................1
 PRIFF - Puerto Rico International Film Festival.....................................................5
    History..................................................................................................................5
    Film Festival Sections............................................................................................8
 Program.................................................................................................................11
    Precedent............................................................................................................13
    Program Description.............................................................................................16
    Program Special Problems and Issues...................................................................22
  Program Summary.....................................................................................23
 The Arts: Cinema and Architecture.......................................................................30
  Experiencing Cinema and Architecture.........................................................31
  Architecture Reality.....................................................................................35
  Architecture Fiction.....................................................................................37
  Architecture as a balance between reality and fiction.....................................41
 Site........................................................................................................................43
  Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico................................................................ 44
  Isla Grande................................................................................................48
  Adjacent Developments..............................................................................52
  Site Analysis..............................................................................................57
  Existing Structure.......................................................................................64
 Master Plan...........................................................................................................69
 Project...................................................................................................................89
 Conclusion............................................................................................................101
 Bibliography..........................................................................................................104
 iv
 List of Figures
 Figure 1: PRIFF Posters 
Figure 2: PRIFF Program
 Figure 3: Caribbean Competition 2010 Nominees 
Figure 4: World Cinema Section Program 2010 
Figure 5: TIFF Bell Lightbox
 Figure 6: TIFF Bell Lightbox
 Figure 7: TIFF Bell Lightbox Program Axonometric Diagram
 Figure 8: Space Allocations and Relationships
 Figure 9: Programmatic Relationships
 Figure 10: Space Allocations and Relationships
 Figures11 & 12: Programmatic elements and their relationship to the site
 Figure 13: Reality + Fiction
 Figure 14: Building as fiction or building as container of fiction
 Figure 15: Three types of knowledge
 Figure 16: Linear Experience 
Figure 17: Fragmented Experience
 Figure 18: From reality to fiction
 Figure 19: From Reality to Fiction
 Figure 20: Luis Barragan
 Figure 21: Site Location
 Figure 22: Site Location
 Figure 23: Isla Grande location in Santurce, San Juan
 Figure 24: Population per km (Census 2000)
 Figure 25: Projects to revitalize and repopulate Santurce
 Figure 26: Principal Avenues in Santurce
 Figure 27: Isla Grande?s location in Santurce
 Figure 28: 1920?s Aerial View
 Figure 29: 1948 Proposal for runway expansion
 Figure 30: 1972 Aerial Photo of Isla Grande Naval Air Station and Airport
 Figure 31: Old Naval Base plan
 Figure 32: Puerto Rico Convention Center District Master Plan
 Figure 33: Convention Center District proposal for uses in the Isla Grande Area
 Figure 34: Sheraton Hotel, Residential Building and Convention Center
 Figure 35: The Walkable City Master Plan
 Figure 36: The Walkable City connection to Isla Grande
 Figure 37: San Juan historic area and Naval Base remaining buildings
 Figure 38: Possible Interactions
 Figure 39: Locals and Tourists
 Figure 40: Transportation
 Figure 41: Topography
 Figure 42: Aerial View of Isla Grande
 Figure 43: Aerial View of Isla Grande and Puerta de Tierra
 Figure 44: Aerial View of Isla Grande and Puerta de Tierra
 Figure 45: Aerial View of Site, Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel
 Figure 46: Hangar Exterior
 Figure 47: Hangar Elevation, Sections and Detail
 Figure 48: Hangar Details
 Figure 49: Hangar form Airport
 Figure 50: Hangar Doors                   v
Figure 51: Hangar Interior
 Figure 52: Hangar Interior
 Figure 53: Current Conditions of the Site
 Figure 54: Current Conditions of the Site
 Figure 55: Current Conditions of the Site
 Figure 56: Area of Mater Plan
 Figure 57: Master Plan
 Figure 58: Proposed Land Use
 Figure 59: Master Plan
 Figure 60: Master Plan
 Figure 61: Master Plan
 Figure 62: Master Plan
 Figure 63: Master Plan Section
 Figure 64: Vehicular Approach
 Figure 65: Pedestrian Approach
 Figure 66: Noise
 Figure 67: Sun and Wind
 Figure 68: Views
 Figure 69: Urban Grid
 Figure 70: Urban Grid and Views towards the site
 Figure 71: C Shape
 Figure 72: Penetrated Volume
 Figure 73: Model of Penetrated Volume
 Figure 74: Model of Penetrated Volume
 Figure 75: Volume after program was applied
 Figure 76: Model of volumes with angled walls
 Figure 77: Model of volumes with angled walls
 Figure 78: Model of volumes with angled walls
 Figure 79: Contrast in Geometry
 Figure 80: Existing Structure and New Building
 Figure 81: General Program Distribution
 Figure 82: General view
 Figure 83: Ground level Floor Plan
 Figure 84: Plaza
 Figure 85: Aerial View
 Figure 86: Plaza theater
 Figure 87: Red Carpet
 Figure 88: View towards the gallery
 Figure 89: Inside the Hangar
 Figure 90: Exterior Seating Area
 Figure 91: View of side entrance
 Figure 92: View of Film Festival building lobby
 Figure 93: View of the Projection Box
 Figure 94: Second Level Floor Plan
 Figure 95: View of the Second level lobby
 Figure 96: Section
 Figure 97: View of back entrance to Hangar plaza
 Figure 98: Interior Elevation
 Figure 99: Northeast Elevation
 Figure 100: Wall Section
 Figure 101:View lines and Hangar lines
 vi
On Film Festivals 
 ?There is an air of persuasive optimism, as though the festgoers fully believed that, 
sometime during the next hours or days, they would surely be both entertained and 
ennobled by witnessing a true work of art.?1 
        - Peter Bart
  A Film Festival is an organized festival that features cinema, usually 
produced during the past year, which lasts from a few days to a few weeks. 
Typically festivals are annual events that take place in one or more venues around 
the same locality. The films presented during the festivals range from short 
features to full-length films, International or local and with different focus or genres. 
These events represent the union between art, commerce, tourism and adoration 
for film, particularly films outside of the mainstream that have influenced many 
cities and communities. Film Festivals are well known for their tourist business 
since tourists are the main supporters and source of income for film festivals  and 
the cineastes that mount the events.  
 The first event that resembled a film festival was a one-time activity held in 
Monaco in 1898, which was perhaps the beginning of Cannes Film Festival. Later 
in 1907 the Lumi?re Brothers hosted a contest in Rome which was the first known 
film competition. This event in Italy opened the door for the possibility of an activity 
that would give hope of prosperity to a nation that was coming out of a depression 
and almost two decades later an individual who?s name has been lost in time had 
the idea of an international film exposition, which is  considered the beginning of 
1
 1 Peter Bart, The Variety Guide to Film Festivals (New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1998), 
Introduction.
modern film festivals, the Venice Festival. Cannes Film Festival was  born after 
Venice in 1939 sponsored again by a Lumi?re. Unfortunately, World War II started 
that same year affecting the realization of the festival, which lasted only for one 
night, but right after the war was over the festival was resumed full schedule in a 
small theater in 1946. 2 Berlin followed soon after Cannes, but with a very different 
environment because of the conditions the war left the city in. Berlin was  ?a city 
without splendor where a film festival was expected to bring colorful spectacle and 
creative people into a divided world.?3  The festival was successful in uniting 
Eastern and Western European filmmakers. 
 America showed some resistance to accept and being part of European 
festival or creating their own. Since at the beginning festivals  were sponsored by 
governments, movies were also entered to the festivals by governments  and not by 
producers. This limited the United States to share films only with the most popular 
festivals, Venice, Cannes and Berlin. It was  not until the appearance of 
independent filmmakers that American Films flooded the festivals abroad because 
the directors were finally the ones to choose the entries. 
 Film Festivals play a main role in exposing and promoting independent 
and experimental films and are ?an essential mean of creating word of mouth and 
visibility for the independent film  firms?4, but this  has not been the only reason why 
2
 2 Gerald Pratley and Leonard Klady, The Variety Guide to Film Festivals (New York: Berkley 
Publishing Group, 1998), 2.
 3 Gerald Pratley and Leonard Klady, The Variety Guide to Film Festivals (New York: Berkley 
Publishing Group, 1998), 2.
 4 Gerald Pratley and Leonard Klady, The Variety Guide to Film Festivals (New York: Berkley 
Publishing Group, 1998), 5.
Film Festivals  have proliferated all over the globe. These events are made up by a 
greatly diverse amount of ?motives, politics, and intentions, astonishing and 
bewildering financial whirlpools surrounded by culture, commerce and ideology.? 5 
The product of Hollywood was rejected for many years by European film festivals 
and critics until the 60's  when they started seeing American films as "reflective of 
change instead of resistant and reactionary." Now a day, European festivals  are 
constantly asking for American contributions in both film and celebrities, which is 
what attracts audience the most. This has led America to be known by moviegoers 
everywhere and most festivals owe their success to work produced in Hollywood. 
Although, Film Festivals have become so popular that entering a film to one of the 
high profile festivals could give a film all the exposure it needed to be successful, it 
could also damage and tear it apart because it would make the film a perfect target 
for very influential critics. For that reason, a lot of directors and producers think 
about it twice before entering their films to the festivals. 
 Audiences of festivals have change throughout the years, since festivals  
started appearing around the world the regular visitors were mostly college 
students. Today it is not college students the main audiences but the now grown up 
students that visited festivals in the 60?s and 70?s. The domination of Hollywood 
films in European theaters has stolen festivals their young audiences. 
Film Festivals are ordered and scheduled events, full of rituals and rules. Andr? 
Bazin compared the history of film festivals  to the creation of an Order when he 
3
 5 Gerald Pratley and Leonard Klady, The Variety Guide to Film Festivals (New York: Berkley 
Publishing Group, 1998), 3.
expressed that ?if an Order is something defined by its rules as well as being 
inseparable from a life of contemplation and meditation, in which people join in holy 
worship of a common transcendent reality, then the Festival is a Religious  Order.? 
The visitors of the festivals, particularly the fully engaged patrons, experience a 
change in their usual way of living because their lives are now ruled by the 
schedule of the activities of the festivals. Most Festivals also have a strict dressing 
code for some of the events  and generally food is not allowed in the theaters. 
Realizing this, the Toronto International Film Festival started to loosen some of 
those rules in their new venue, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, which resulted in an 
increase of visits from the general public and not just film critics or people from the 
industry. 
 Film Festival venues have helped to establish rules and rituals  as  well, 
even when visitors are not aware of it. In the Palais des Festival (Cannes Film 
Festival) the hierarchy of the visitors is  clearly established by the location in which 
the different groups of visitors seat in the auditorium. The Palais is  described as a 
?challenge to the way people conduct themselves at the Festival?6, particularly 
because of the way people enter and exit the auditorium. The entrances are really 
narrow which causes difficulties, especially when it is  raining. In the Venice Film 
Festival, the venues have more open areas  that allow for better interaction among 
visitors. 
4
 6 Andr? Bazin, Dekalog3: On Film Festivals. (London: Wallflower Press), 17. 
PRIFF - Puerto Rico International Film Festival 
  
Figure 1: PRIFF Posters 
(Source: Jose Artemio Torres)
 History
  The PRIFF (Puerto Rico International Film Festival) takes place every year 
in October in the Capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan. The festival started in 2000 
under a different name, The San Juan Cinemafest, and it originally took place at 
the movie theaters of Plaza Las Americas Shopping Center in San Juan, Puerto 
Rico. Five years later they moved to San Patricio Plaza Shopping Center in 
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and had to rename the festival to Puerto Rico Cinemafest 
because it was no longer taking place in San Juan. Finally, in 2007, the festival 
moved to the Metro Cinemas in San Juan and adopted the name that has today, 
The Puerto Rico International Film festival (PRIFF). 
 The festival focuses on Puerto Rican, regional and international films and 
it shows from thirty to thirty five films each year, usually six films a day. It is created 
for two different groups, the general public and film professionals  and students, 
with activities for each group. Screenings of films for the general public are 
5
complemented by activities  for the film industry such as forums, lectures and 
filmmaker meetings. In addition, there are interdisciplinary activities that link film 
with theater, literature, the fine and the culinary arts. This festival is the biggest film 
festival in Puerto Rico. It is also the broadest, covering most areas of cinema and 
is  has the most audience. The festival is also visited by international filmmakers, 
news reporters, journalists and film sales agents. The core of the festival is  full-
 length fiction films but documentaries and animation films are also shown. It has 
three sections and a side section of shorts  that is  currently shown at the University 
of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus in San Juan. 
Figure 2: PRIFF Program
 (Source: Jose Artemio Torres)
 6
 Visitors of the festival are often professional adults who have graduated 
from Highschool or have a College degree. Usually they are also in the middle to 
upper class and have purshasing power. Most of the festgoers also have a 
particular interest in Film and visit theaters ofter, especially Fine Arts Theater or 
they are interested in other types of cultural avtivities such as theater, dance and 
music. The younger audience usually has a professional interest for film. 
 PRIFF has three full time employees, but when the festival is  taking place 
it has about 25 employees that work at the movie theaters and at the different 
activities that occur during the festival week. The executive director of the festival, 
Jose Artemio Torres, is a director and producer of film and TV commercials and 
has been working with film festivals since he hosted the first Experimental Film 
Festival in the Puerto Rican Athenaeum. He was also the director of the San Juan 
Cinemafest (1992-2000) from which the Puerto Rico International Film Festival 
was born. He has published a couple of books on Puerto Rican Film such as 
Historia del cine puertorrique?o (History of Puerto Rican Cinema), La gran 
encyclopedia de Puerto Rico (The Great Puerto Rican Encyclopedia) and Idilio 
Tropical (Tropical Idyll). 
 Marely Guti?rrez is the coordinator of the festival. She is in charge of 
coordinating the events, press conferences, presentation of products and 
corporative seminars. She used to be the coordinator of guests and activities  of the 
San Juan Cinemafest since its foundation in 1989. Also working with the festival is 
7
Alvaro Calder?n Mart?nez, who is an award winning film producer and works at the 
festival coordinating the master classes. 
 There are also International delegates. These professionals  collaborate 
with the festival by recommending films and making arrangements with other 
festivals, government entities and distributors from other countries. Ramiro 
Crist?bal (Spain), Mario Visepp? (Argentina) and Fernando C?mara (Mexico) are 
among these delegates. 
Film Festival Sections
 A. Caribbean Competition
  The Caribbean Competition confers an award to the Best Caribbean Film 
chosen by an international jury. This award is named after Ricardo Alegr?a, founder 
of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture and the Center for Advanced Studies of 
Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The Caribbean region is experiencing an increase 
in film  production with the opening of new studios in Venezuela, the continuing 
production in Cuba, the extraordinary leap in Mexican filmmaking, and the increase 
in production both in Colombia and Puerto Rico due to new film-related 
legislations, and in the Dominican Republic due to private investment.  Central 
America is also producing films.  This year?s winner was the Colombian film, 
Retratos en un mar mentiras from Colombian director Carlos Gaviria.
 8
Figure 3: Caribbean Competition 2010 Nominees 
(Source: Jose Artemio Torres)
 B. World Cinema Section
  This  section includes  non-Caribbean films.  The goal of the festival with 
this  section is to offer the best international films from the most important film 
festivals of the world and/or favored by the public in their native countries of origin.
 Figure 4: World Cinema Section Program 2010 
(Source: Jose Artemio Torres)
 9
C. People's Choice Award
  During the festival the public votes for their favorite film. This film is then 
conferred the People's Choice Award that is  be named after the late Francisco 
D?az Herrero, who served as an inspiration for the festival.
 D. San Juan Screenings
  Film institutes and other Caribbean film promotion agencies  are invited to 
present their most recent productions.  International film sales agents  are also be 
invited and given the opportunity to view these productions  and to consider 
representing them.
 E. Master Class
  A recognized film expert is invited every year to offer a master class on a 
crucial aspect of film production: editing, sound, directing, cinematography, etc. 
This  course is typically aimed at film professionals. In addition, other courses are 
offered to the general public by film professionals.
 10
Program
 ?An architect studies the program as the reality of the future activities or acts 
played in the building.?
 - Juhani Pallasmaa
  Based on precedent studies and conversations with the director of PRIFF 
the program for the project was defined in order to satisfy its objectives of being 
the headquarters for the festival, a cultural center and a production studio. The 
project is divided in four areas: Film Festival, Production Studios, Cultural Center 
and Administrative Offices. Each of these four areas will be located separate from 
each other to prevent conflict of schedules, privacy requirements and noise 
interruptions. 
 The main objective of the Film Festival part of the program is to provide 
adequate facilities  for the activities of the festival. The venues in which PRIFF 
currently takes place, Metro Cinemas, are not enough to accommodate the public 
that attends the festival. The theaters at Metro Cinemas have 150 seats, however, 
for the past three years PRIFF audience has grown surpassing 300 visitors for 
each of the main screenings. The new facilities for PRIFF will have three theaters, 
two of them with 150 seats and a bigger one with 400 seats that will adapt to 
PRIFF?s schedule of up to nine films a day and up to three simultaneously and also 
to accommodate the current festival public and its  possible growth. In addition, the 
Film Festival part of the program will have an area for concessions and smaller 
screening rooms that accommodate up to forty people. 
11
 The Administrative Offices area houses the offices of the other three areas 
and will be located at a reasonable distance from each part. The Production Studio 
area provides state of the art facilities for the production of films, commercials and 
photography. It counts with  a Soundstage, sound recording rooms and editing 
rooms, which provide support for a great variety of projects. The Cultural Center 
area is a place for the community to learn about film and to foment the growth of 
the Puerto Rican film culture. 
 Even though the main four areas will be apart from each other, they will be 
connected by a common space, a Plaza. The Plaza is an area where the users of 
the project will have the opportunity to interact and exchange idea, opinions and 
culture. 
12
Program Precedent
  The Toronto International Film Festival and Cannes International Film 
Festivals are the only two festivals  in the world that have their own headquarters, 
the rest of the festivals use regular movie theaters and other venues.
 TIFF Bell lightbox ? Toronto International Film Festival
 Location: Corner of King and John Streets, Toronto, Ontario
 Size: 175,000 s.f. (without residential tower)
 Design Architect: KPMB Architects
 Architects of Record: Kirkor Architects & Planners
   Figure 5: TIFF Bell Lightbox
   (Source: www.fest21.com)
  Founded in 1976, the Toronto International Film Festival is a charitable 
arts organization that has grown to have an annual economic impact of more than 
$67 million for the City of Toronto. ?The festival is  held every September and is 
recognized as the most important film festival after Cannes. It operated its 
programs from 200 venues throughout the city for 28 years. A few years ago the 
Festival hit its  maximum capacity in terms of its  ability to keep evolving its 
13
programs. For this reason, a client group was formed between the not-for-profit 
TIFF and the King and John Festival Corporation. Producer/Director Ivan Reitman 
donated an underutilized site in Toronto?s downtown entertainment district. It is  a 
hybrid concept that combines a five-story cultural institution with a 42-story 
residential/commercial tower. TIFF Bell Lightbox is designed to be highly animated 
at street level. A large-scale canopy projects over the King Street entrance and 
defines an arcade that wraps around the corner to John Street. Five cinemas, 
restaurants, cafes, and multiple gathering places  ensure that the building is 
animated throughout the day and night.?7
  Figure 6: TIFF Bell Lightbox
  (Source: www.fest21.com)
 14
 7 www.kpmb.com
     
 Figure 7: TIFF Bell Lightbox Program Axonometric Diagram
  (Source: arts.nationalpost.com)              
15
Program Description
 ?The architects primary talent is not in the capacity to fantasize spaces but to imagine 
situations of real human life.? 
- Aulis Blomstedt
 A. Film Festival 
 This  part of the program includes all the areas that form part of the Film 
Festival. It is the most public/interior part of the project and potentially the area that 
will have the mayor quantity of people. The theaters for the Film Festival have 
different sizes  to provide versatility and the opportunity to host different types of 
activities in them. Also, the exterior screening areas will serve as both a space for 
lectures and for showing films at night. 
1. Main Theater
  The main theater of the PRIFF, with 400 seats, will hold the main 
screenings of the festival, such as the films for the Caribbean Competition and 
some of the most awarded films of the World Cinema Section. 
 2. Secondary Theaters (2) 
 These theaters, with 150 seats, will host the rest of the films from the 
World Cinema Section as well as the Short Film Section and Documentaries. 
 3. Screening Rooms
  These rooms will be used for special screenings to small audiences, o test 
or show films that want to get representation, for the cultural center workshops and 
classes, for the San Juan Screenings Section of the festival and by directors  and/
 or producers of the films created in the Production Studio facilities. 
16
4. Exterior Screening Areas 
  The exterior screening areas will accommodate films  mainly at night and 
other lectures and conferences from the festival and cultural center. It will also host 
the Caribbean Competition Awards and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 
festival. 
5. Digital Projection Box
  The digital projection box is the space from where all the screens in the 
complex are controlled. It holds the equipment for digitally projecting films, control 
lighting and control sound. This  space will be viewed from the lobby of the Film 
Festival building. 
6. Film Vault
  This  space will be dedicated to store films and other materials acquired by 
the festival. It will have different climate control to protect and preserve films and 
books and it will be located close to both the theaters  area and the administrative 
area. 
 7. Storage and Maintenance Room
  General storage space for cleaning supplies and utilities such as curtains, 
light bulbs, seat cushions, projection box materials and other components of the 
theaters and screening rooms. 
 8. Vestibule / lobby
  It serves  as the entrance way of the building and contains  the 
Concessions Stand, a waiting area, access to the theater on the first level and 
access to the second level. . It will have view of a screen on the second level. 
17
 9. Concessions Stand
  Stand located in the lobby of the festival to sell snacks and beverages to 
costumers. 
 10. Box Office 
 Located near the entrance with access from both the interior and exterior, 
it is the place where people will buy the tickets for the shows. 
11. Drop off 
 With direct access to the lobby the Drop off area will not only give close 
approach to the entrance but will also host the red carpet when the festival is 
taking place. 
B. Administrative Offices 
 The administrative offices of the three parts of the project, the Film 
Festival, The cultural Center and the Production Studios, will be located in the 
same area sharing some spaces like the lunch room, the copy room, the reception, 
storage and meeting rooms. 
 1. Reception
  The administrative offices of these three components should have access 
to this  area. There will be a desk for a receptionist who will direct people to the 
respective areas they want to go. There will also be a waiting area and a restroom 
for visitors. 
2. Copy Room
  Space that holds printers, copiers and other office materials. 
18
 3. Lunch Area
  Kitchenette area with a small refrigerator, cabinets, small sink and tables. 
This  area will be shared by the administrative personal of the Film Festival, the 
Cultural Center and the Production Studios. 
 4. Meeting Rooms (2)
  The meeting rooms will be shared by all the administrative sections (Film 
Festival, Cultural Center and Production Studio) to host gatherings and meetings 
between the staff with visitors and clients. 
5.  Director?s Office (3)
  5.1 Film Festival Director?s Office: This person is  responsible of planning 
and coordinating all the film festival activities during the time the festival is in 
session and during the rest of the year. Also, he is the person in charge of 
choosing what films will make it into the festival and in which theaters they will be 
shown. 
 5.2 Cultural Center Administrator?s Office: This person is  responsible of 
administering and coordinating the activities and programs of the Cultural Center. 
 5.3 Production Studio Administrator?s Office: This  person is  responsible of 
coordinating and scheduling the use of the Production Studio facilities. Also, this 
person is in charge of the personal that will work there. 
19
C. Cultural Center
  The Cultural Center program includes cultural and community center 
facilities  for the surrounding communities. These facilities provide spaces for the 
master classes and other courses for the community. 
1. Seminar rooms
  These rooms are meant for group work, class discussion and other 
collaborative learning projects.
 2. Studio Space
  Multi-purpose space for activities such as classes, castings, and 
rehearsals. 
3. Library / Gallery
  In this  area the festival organizers can have exhibitions of the history of 
the festival and of Puerto Rican film to promote the support of the organization and 
the film industry or any other type of film exhibition to bring history and the new 
creations to the local public and visitors. Also, the library will offer the community a 
place where they can find information and research material on cinema, 
particularly Puerto Rican cinema. 
D. Production Area
  The Production Studios have a Soundstage and other spaces that will 
support the production of films, commercials and photography. 
20
 1. Soundstage 
 A controlled environment used for the production of motion pictures  and 
short films. This will be an ?enclosed stage? type of space, large enough to 
accommodate movie sets and it has to be soundproofed. It has a metal framework 
to hang cameras, light and catwalks. 
 2. Sound Recording Rooms
  Space designed by an acoustician to record music and voiceovers for 
films, TV shows and animations. It consists of two rooms, the control room and the 
studio. The control room is the place where the recording equipment for recording 
and editing sound are located and the studio is the space where vocalists perform. 
 3. Editing Room
 Space where users of the Production Studio can edit their projects with advanced 
editing equipment. 
 4. Dressing Room
 A change room for users  of the production studio. It is  located next to the 
Soundstage with direct access to it. 
 5. Equipment Room
 Storage space for props and other equipment. 
 6. Reception Area
 There will be a desk for a receptionist who will direct people to the respective areas 
they want to go.
 21
A. Plaza 
This  part of the program is an open area from where all the parts of the project can 
be accessed. It is a place of mayor interaction that unites the Film Festival, the 
Cultural Center, the Production Studios and the Administration areas. The plaza 
will provide a space in which visitors  and users of the different facilities will have 
the opportunity to interact and exchange experiences. It is a hub where the local 
communities will come in contact with tourists and foreign visitors to share 
impressions of film and culture. It also contains  the Box Office and one of the 
exterior screening areas. 
Program Special Problems and Issues
  The proximity of the different methods of transportation, airport, cruise ship 
and highways could affect the performance of spaces like the theaters and the 
production areas. The placement of these programmatic elements  is important to 
prevent them form being affected by the noise that the surrounding transportation 
elements create. The existence of the park on the left side of the site will work as a 
buffer of noise. 
22
Program Summary
 FILM FESTIVAL                                         SUBTOTAL: 28,938ft2 
Main Theater   400 seats                                                                   7,500ft2 
Secondary Theaters (2)  150 seats                                 3,000ft2 
Exterior Theater  150 seats                                  3,000ft2 
Screening Rooms (3)                                               300 ft2 
Storage                                            300ft2
 Film Vault                                     300 ft2 
Projection Box                                                       300 ft2
 Vestibule                                                       2,000 ft2
 Concessions                                                       200ft2 
Box Office (2)                                                       80ft2
 Drop off / Red Carpet Area                               600 ft2 
Restroom                                  1,000ft2
 30% Circulation                                 6,678ft2
 ADMINISTRATION                                   SUBTOTAL:  4,010ft2
         
Director?s office (3)                                  180ft2 
Secretary                                  125ft2 
Administrative assistants offices (8)                                80ft2 
Reception                                           400ft2
 Copy room                                   36ft2 
Lunch area                                   180ft2 
Meeting room                                   300 ft2 
Storage                         64 ft2 
Restroom                        500ft2
 30% Circulation                                   760.5ft2
 CULTURAL CENTER                                                SUBTOTAL: 15,730ft2
 Seminar Rooms  (2)                                             300 ft2 
Studio space                                   3,900ft2 
Library                                    3,500ft2 
Gallery                                    3,000 ft2 
23
Computer Lab.              300ft2
 Reception Area                                  300 ft2
 Restrooms                                    500ft2 
30% Circulation                                    3,630ft2
 PRODUCTION STUDIOS                                       SUBTOTAL: 21,684ft2 
Soundstage                                                10,000ft2
 Control Room                                    150ft2 
Cyclorama                                    1,000ft2
 Sound Recording Rooms (4)                                   120ft2 
Editing Room (2)                                               800ft2
 Dressing Room  (2)                                      450ft2
 Equipment Area                              1,600ft2
 Reception Area                          300 ft2
 Production Office                                    150ft2
 Restrooms                                     500ft2
 30% Circulation                                     5,004ft2
 EXTERIOR PLAZA                                    15,000ft2
 RESTAURANT                                     5,000ft2 
                      TOTAL PROGRAM: 90,362ft2
 24
Figure 8: Space Allocations and Relationships
 (Source: Author)
  The program was divided into four parts, the Film Festival, the Production 
Studios, the Cultural Center and the Administrative Offices. These four areas are to 
be connected by an exterior plaza space. (Figure 8,9)
 25
Figure 9: Programmatic Relationships
 (Source: Author)
  
26
Figure 10: Space Allocations and Relationships
 (Source: Author)
  Figure 10 shows the connections between spaces in each of the four 
major components of the project and their relationship to one another. In each of 
the parts, spaces are connected to one reception or vestibule space from which 
you can access the rest of the areas.  At the same time each of the four parts  are 
connected to the exterior plaza, which allows all the parts of the project and its 
users to interact in a common space.
 27
Figures 11 & 12: Programmatic elements and their relationship to the site
 (Source: Author)
 28
 Figure 11 shows the total area of the site compared to the total area of the 
program. Figure 12 shows the area of the site compared to the program divided 
into Film Festival, Production Studios, Cultural Center and Administrative Offices.
 29
?The real strength of artistic image is being suspended between reality and fiction, 
equally.? - Juhani Pallasmaa
 The Arts: Cinema and Architecture
 ?I don?t see a fundamental difference between architecture and film in the sense that 
architecture is a matter of staging human events and situations particularly to give certain 
clarity to those stages to elevate human interaction.?
 -Juhani Pallasmaa 
 The Arts, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, are the ?various branches of 
creative activity that express or apply human creative skill and imagination, 
producing works that are appreciated primarily for their beauty and emotional 
power?. They are basically a subjective interpretation of reality, where the artist 
takes what he or she values in reality and expresses it in painting, sculpture, 
music, literature, film, photography and architecture. ?Since the late 1970?s, 
architecture has fervently sought connections with other fields of art.?8  Historically, 
music has been regarded as the art that relates most to architecture, but it is 
actually cinema the art that is closest to architecture. 
 Both Architecture and Film develop in time and space; they ?articulate 
lived space... and create and mediate comprehensive images of life.?9  They can 
also be implicit and explicit in the sense that their interpretation can be both literal 
and symbolic. Film tells a specific story that can be literally understood but also 
symbolically interpreted. Architecture is explicit in the fact that its  program is clearly 
30
 8 J. Pallasmaa. The Architecture of Image. pp. 13
 9 J. Pallasmaa. The Architecture of Image. pp. 13
read ? a theater is clearly a theater because of the elements that compose it, 
chairs, screen, etc. 
 Film and architecture have shown an amazing ability to influence each 
other. Cinema has possibly been a greater influence in architecture than the 
reverse. Since the end of the XIX century, imaginary spaces, reconstructed spaces 
or spaces simply recorded by camera have modified radically urban spaces and 
the way in which urban space is inhabited.10  The spaces they present and 
represent have facilitated the development of history, in both fact and fiction. 
Experiencing Cinema and Architecture
  Both forms of art, Cinema and Architecture, ?define the dimensions and 
essence of existential space; they create experiential scenes of life situations.?11 In 
the mind, ?the modes of experiencing architecture and cinema become identical. In 
the art of architecture a mental image is transferred from the experiential realm of 
the architect to the mental world of the observer, and the material building is a 
mere mediating object?12, while in film the projected images transfer a mental 
image from the screen to the observer. In the mental space, ?the fact that images 
of architecture are eternalized in matter, whereas cinematic images are only an 
illusion projected onto the screen, has no decisive significance.?13 However, this is 
not the case in the physical experiential world. 
31
 10 V. S?nchez Biosca, G. Fern?ndez Hoya, V.J. Benet, C. Mart? Ar?s, J.A. Ram?rez Dom?nguez. 
Los espacios de la ficci?n: cine y arquitectura. (Spaces of Fiction: Cinema and Architecture) pp. 
Introduction
 11 J. Pallasmaa. The Architecture of Image. pp. 13
 12 J. Pallasmaa. The Architecture of Image. pp. 18
 13 J. Pallasmaa. The Architecture of Image. pp. 18
  In the physical world, experiencing film is  different from experiencing 
architecture. While watching a film in a movie theater, the architecture becomes 
just a backdrop, a simple container of the world that film sets up inside the theater. 
The worlds that film creates transcend the materiality of architecture allowing 
spectators to become part of them with their imagination. Even though the senses 
of viewers  are more focused while watching a film, viewers can only experience 
these fictional worlds and scenarios with their sight and imagination. Architecture, 
on the other hand, has the capacity to create worlds  that can be experienced with 
all the senses in the physical world. 
Table 1
 (Source: Author)
  Architecture and film share several attributes in the way they can be 
experienced, like the fact that they both have an active mind component. 
Architecture is experienced when the subject moves through the space, it 
addresses all the senses, while film really hits hard on two: sight and hearing. In 
the interaction of film and the viewer, the viewer is static and the movement 
happens only through sight when the frame moves. Architecture touches both the 
real and fictional environments, but film only touches  fiction, even if film is trying to 
project a real story.
 32
Figure 13: Reality + Fiction
 (Source: Author)
  Figure 13 shows the results  of adding Reality and Fiction in Film and 
Architecture. Reality plus fiction in film equals fiction while reality plus fiction in 
architecture equals a union of both. 
                    Architecture as fiction                      Architecture as container of fiction
 Figure 14: Building as fiction or building as container of fiction
 (Source: Author)
 33
 If architecture has the capacity of being both real and fictional then it is no 
longer just a container of stories (Figure 14). It becomes ?a device for storytelling 
as narratives are woven into its  foundations. While the human mind spins  its  tales 
through memory and thoughts, each space?with its  history, program, materials, 
and design?produces a unique set of narratives.?14
  
34
 14 Tali Krakowsky. www.imaginaryforces.com 
?A writer must be sure that the story that he tells is grounded in reality, otherwise the 
readers imagination will reject it? 
? Jorge Luis Borges
  ?The reality of architecture is grounded in the physical world. When it loses connection to 
this it turns into fantasy, it doesn?t touch my soul at all.?
 - Juhani Pallasmaa
 Architecture Reality
  Reality is conceived as  the state of things as  they actually exist and not as 
they are perceived or interpreted and it includes things that are or have been. 
In the book For An Architecture of Reality, Michael Benedikt interprets postmodern 
architecture and what he considers is the essence of reality in architecture. 
According to Benedikt, the realness of architecture should be felt consciously and 
subconsciously by the simple act of experiencing it. One should move with the 
movements of the spaces and be drawn to inhabit areas of seeming emptiness 
without explanations. ?Real? buildings  serve a specific purpose of being as efficient 
as possible and of having a specific significance and use for its dwellers. The 
moment when a person discovers the importance of a building is  defined by 
Benedikt as a ?direct experience of the real?15. 
 Peter Zumthor talks about the separation between the invented meaning 
behind an object, which is  often subjected to cultural or personal knowledge, and 
?real things? such as water, light, earth and vegetation. For him, real architecture is 
not either a message or a symbol. He considers that ?buildings can have a 
35
 15 Michael Benedikt. For An Architecture of Reality. pp.4
beautiful silence that is associated with attributes such as composure, self-
 evidence, durability, presence, and integrity, and with warmth and sensuousness 
as well; a building that is being itself, being a building, not representing anything, 
just being.?16  Similarly, Steven Holl is known for an ?architecture that considers 
place, time, and the senses of the viewer.?17 In addition, Pallasmaa considers that 
one way to express this idea of reality through the senses is reach with the 
tectonics of the building. He expresses that ?tectonic language is  very sensorial 
because it shows the truth of construction, the truth of materials, the truth of the 
elements and the truth of gravity.18
  These ideas are in contrast with the postmodernist architects who believed 
that architecture should convey a meaning. Postmodern architects returned to the 
representative and symbolic value of architectural elements and forms. Robert 
Venturi, one of the mayor exponents of this movement, expressed that ?Architects 
can bemoan or try to ignore the ornamental and decorative elements in buildings 
or even try to abolish them, but they will not go away. Or they will not go away for a 
long time, because architects do not have the power to replace them.?19  However, 
once a building incorporates symbolic expressions  it detaches itself from the real 
world since it goes against the pure definition of reality, which establishes that 
reality is made of things as they are and not as they are interpreted. 
36
 16 Peter Zumthor. Thinking Architecture.
 17 Steven Holl. House: Black Swan Theory
 18 Juhani Pallasmaa. Lecture: Reality and Fiction. University of Minnesota.
 19 Robert Venturi. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.
?I hear you say ?Why?? always ?Why?? You see things and say ?Why?? But I dream of 
something that never existed; and I say ?Why not??20 
- George Bernard Shaw
 Architecture Fiction
  Fiction is an invention, a fabrication, something feigned and imagined, as 
opposed to fact. It is a made-up story, an imaginary thing or event, a belief and/or a 
statement that is false, but that is often held to be true because it is  expedient to do 
so. 
 Pallasmaa defines Architecture fiction as ?architecture that is  not grounded 
in the realities of physical world or the realities  of human life.?21  According to the 
Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture, architecture fiction is animated and 
dynamic. This type of architecture depends on its users and their knowledge base 
(Figure 15), it changes as ideas change and so it is considered an unpredictable 
and nondeterministic system. Its intelligence depends not on rules and laws but on 
experience and interpretation, being free from the conventional restrictions of 
reality. It contains different levels of overlapped information, interpretation and 
reading, which result in multiple layers of meaning and relationship. Also, it can 
create or impose inauthentic cultures and heritages, it can turn local into foreign 
and vice versa. Digital technologies can be used when creating architecture fiction 
since they transform architecture from ?static environments  into kinetic, cinematic, 
informative, and interactive spaces that offer an endless anthology of stories.?22
 37
 20 George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah, New York: Ballantine Books. (1999)
 21 Juhani Pallasmaa. Lecture: Reality and Fiction. University of Minnesota.
 22 Tali Krakowsky. www.imaginaryforces.com
Figure 15: Three types of knowledge
 (Source: Author)
  Architecture fiction can be non-linear in sequence while still being linear in 
experience because the totality of the experience creates one single overall 
scenario. Like a movie trailer, architecture fiction is made of a ?compilation of parts, 
fragmented elements, sometimes discontinuous with a significant degree of 
asyndeton to achieve the recognition of a global scenario from a singular 
scenario.?23  It is a non-linear synthesis of an overall idea made of parts that are 
autonomous and related, like a holistic composition of discontinuous fragments 
that reinterprets and transmits the idea at the same time. 
38
 23 Manuel Gausa. The Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture. P.633 (2003)
Figure 16: Linear Experience                               Figure 17: Fragmented Experience
 (Source: Author)                           
The way films are experienced is  always linear, it has a beginning and an end. The 
traditional movement through a building is  not unlike that way of experiencing films 
because there is  a procession, like a promenade in which there is a beginning and 
a culmination. But experiencing architecture in a fragmented way, like a movie 
trailer can lead to dynamic action and interaction between all the parts. 
39
Figure 18: From reality to fiction 
(Source: Author)
 Figure 19: From Reality to Fiction
 (Source: Author)
 40
 Buildings are always grounded on reality and have components that help 
perpetuate that, like dealing with climate, structure, gravity and materiality. Fiction 
arises from the combination of those components. The images, elements  and 
situations of life that the building creates are defines  when they are influenced by 
the knowledge each individual brings. When they encounter and interpret these 
scenarios a personal fictional image is created (Figures 18, 19)
 Architecture as a balance between reality and fiction
  Juhani Pallasmaa talks about the necessary balance between reality and 
fiction in architecture.  For Pallasmaa, ?All artistic work exists in two worlds, reality 
of matter and the world of imagination. A painting is  always both paint on a canvas 
and an image that takes place in an imaginary world, a sculpture is both things as 
well. Architecture is the same, utilitarian and at the same time it is a proposition of 
an ideal human situation, where every piece is a metaphor of a better world and if 
that doesn?t happen then there is no architecture.?24  Pallasmaa believes that if 
architecture doesn?t evoke the ideal mental dimension it remains vulgar. On the 
other hand, if it expresses too much an ideal image it becomes sentimental. 
Pallasmaa considers  that the enticing quality of any artwork rises from the double 
focal that we have; in film, we see the real thing which is the actor and the fictional 
thing which is the act. This dual tension creates a mental short-circuit of disbelief in 
a very positive sense that contributes to our self-understanding. Every work of art 
that is too explainable or too fussy fails to create this  tension between the two 
41
 24 Juhani Pallasmaa. Lecture: Reality and Fiction. University of Minnesota. 
worlds. 25 Someone that combines both reality and fiction is architect Luis 
Barragan. His architecture is  strongly grounded in Mexican tradition. It is  almost 
the rebirth of vernacular architecture, but goes very far to the ideal and imaginary 
world.
   Figure 20: Luis Barragan
   (Source: erreefe)
 Pallasmaa believes that reality and fiction are not exclusive entities; they belong 
together, but that we are going to far into the fictitious worlds as opposed to the 
natural way things are. Today?s  architecture, particularly the computer driven, tends 
to completely forget or underestimate this  need for architecture to be grounded in 
reality. He also states that it is  unhealthy when the imaginary world becomes the 
predominant condition, when there is  no check of reality anymore. The reality we 
experience today is increasingly manipulated and fabricated. We are living in a 
world that is thematized, projected on settings completely untrue.26 
42
 25 Juhani Pallasmaa. Lecture: Reality and Fiction. University of Minnesota.
 26 Juhani Pallasmaa. Lecture: Reality and Fiction. University of Minnesota.
Site
 ?The architect studies the site to get an understanding of the reality of the place.?
 Juhani Pallasmaa
 Figure 21: Site Location
 (Source: Map: www.caribbeaninteractivemedia.com  - Diagram: Author)
 Figure 22: Site Location
 (Source: Google Earth)
  The Site is located in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, in the Isla 
Grande peninsula at the southwest Area of Santurce. 
43
Figure 23: Isla Grande location in Santurce, San Juan
 (Source: Lauren Eason)
 Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  Santurce is  surrounded by water on all sides except for a small portion of 
800 meters to the East, which connects with Carolina City. Most of this territory 
used to be covered by mangroves and swaps that were eventually filled the U.S. 
NAVY, particularly the area of Isla Grande. Its territorial boundaries are established 
by The San Juan Bay to the West and the San Antonio Channel which separate 
Santurce from Cata?o City and the Old San Juan Island. To the East, Santurce is 
surrounded by the San Jose Lagoon, Los Corozos Lagoon and Carolina City, 
where the tourist area of Isla Verde and the Isla Verde International Airport are 
located. The Southern boundary is  established by the Mart?n Pe?a Channel, which 
separates Santurce from the Business and Financial Districts of Hato Rey and the 
northern shore of Santurce runs five kilometers  of coast by the Atlantic Ocean. 
(Figure: 23)
 44
 According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Santurce has a total population of 
94,067 people. It is  the most populated area in Puerto Rico and the most densely 
populated area in San Juan (6,931.2 residents per km2), even after losing half of 
the maximum population it has reached (1950?s) (Figure 24). It is  also the area with 
the greatest number of people born outside of Puerto Rico. Also, there is a great 
fluctuation between areas of high income to the northeast and areas of low income 
to the southeast. Santurce?s most populated areas; Miramar, Condado, Barrio 
Obrero and Loiza are considered cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine and 
fashion. 
Figure 24: Population per km (Census 2000)
  (Source: Javier Rodriguez Galarza)
  The reduction of the population after the 1950?s was due to the 
displacement of suburbs  that had proliferated along the Mart?n Pe?a Channel and 
the migratory movements to the United States and other part of the metropolitan 
area of San Juan. This drop in population alarmed the government who decided to 
develop various projects to revitalize and repopulate Santurce. Among these 
45
developments are some adaptive reuse projects  of historical structures to house 
cultural institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art of Santurce, The 
Museum of Art of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory, as well as 
the plan for the development of commercial, residential and touristic projects in the 
Isla Grande peninsula, which includes the Convention Center District (Figure 25). 
Figure 25: Projects to revitalize and repopulate Santurce
 (Source: Satellite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author) 
 Santurce?s economy is  mainly based on services. The areas that offer the 
most job opportunities are social educational and health services (14.8%) and the 
entertainment, art, lodging, food and recreation (12.3%). Due to its location 
between the historic part of San Juan and the Luis Mu?oz Mar?n International 
Airport and the beaches along the shore, Santurce is  the area with most hotels  and 
touristic activities in Puerto Rico. The most important hotel is the Sheraton Puerto 
Rico Hotel & Casino located in the Convention Center District in Isla Grande and 
46
adjacent to the site. Most of the commercial activities  are located along the 
principal avenues like the Ponce de Leon Avenue, the Ashford Avenue, the 
Fernandez Juncos Avenue and the marginal streets of the Baldorioty de Castro 
Parkway (Figure 26). While 72% of the working population is employed by private 
companies and 11% own their own business, the government employs a significant 
percent of the population with 17%, since the biggest governmental offices 
complex of Puerto Rico, the Governmental Center of Minillas, is located in 
Santurce. 
Figure 26: Principal Avenues in Santurce
 (Source: Satelite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author) 
47
Isla Grande
 Figure 27: Isla Grande?s location in Santurce
 (Source: Javier Rodriguez Galarza)
  Throughout history, Isla Grande has played an important role due to its 
central position at the bay of San Juan. The majority of its uses have been those of 
military purposes, but recently it has begun to be used for other more domestic and 
commercial purposes. Some of those uses include a small airport, a cruise-ship 
port, various government facilities, and recently, the Convention Center District. 
Isla Grande was once a part of a group of small islands among mangroves (Figure 
27) but was quickly turned into a lookout and a defense outpost for the Spanish 
army, a function it would serve for around four centuries. Later when the United 
States gained control of island, Isla Grande became one of the strategic places 
that they invested a great amount of funds and work into to improve and expand its 
uses. One of the improvements was joining the island with the coast of Puerto Rico 
in the 1920?s. 
48
Figure 28: 1920?s View of the San Antonio Channel, San Juan Bay, Old San Juan and Isla 
Grande with wetland (Source: ARP1757)
  The land was used as a naval and coast guard base and for the first 
International Airport built in Puerto Rico by the Pan American Airways System 
(PANAM) (Figure 29). Today the airport is  called Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci 
(1929). During the construction of the airport, the land that currently houses the 
Convention Center District was used for housing. 
Figure 29: 1948 Proposal for runway expansion, more landfill is required 
(Source: University of Puerto Rico, School of Architecture)         
49
 Later, the airport was used by the US NAVY as  a Naval Air Station (NAS) 
during World War II (Figures 30 and 31). It was part of the neutrality patrol program 
created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. It was not until 1940, when the 
US Government and its NAVY decided to build the San Juan Base as a strategic 
military reference in the Caribbean (Figure 31). During World War II, Isla Grande 
was completely used by the military. Almost all the facilities  that still stand today 
date from that period. After the war, in the 1950s the island was handed to the local 
government, but by this time the Isla Verde International Airport had been 
inaugurated, diminishing the uses of Isla Grande. 
Figure 30: 1972 Aerial Photo of Isla Grande Naval Air Station and Airport
 (Source: University of Puerto Rico, School of Architecture)
 50
 
Figure 31: Old Naval Base plan
 (Source: University of Puerto Rico, School of Architecture)
  The peninsula remained almost untouched until the 1990s becoming an 
underdeveloped zone. In 1995 the area was selected for the development of the 
Convention Center District and an Urban Residential District. The Convention 
Center was officially inaugurated, being followed in 2006 by its surrounding areas, 
including a hotel that is administrated by The Sheraton. 
51
Adjacent Developments
 Puerto Rico Convention Center District
 Figure 32: Puerto Rico Convention Center District Master Plan
 (Source: www.prconventiondistrict.com)
  The Puerto Rico Convention Center District was developed by the Puerto 
Rico Convention Center District Authority as a series of projects that ?aim to create 
a new neighborhood of diverse uses? that provides residential area, offices, 
commercial space, entertainment venues and facilities for civic and cultural 
activities that ?complement and support the Convention Center?s  operations in 
order to promote Puerto Rico?s appeal as a tourist hub, and to foster its  economic 
development.?27 It restored part of the underutilized area that used to be the Naval 
and Coast Guard Base allowing its economic rebirth, turning it into a ?prominent 
waterfront development?28  and acting as a catalyst for other developments in the 
area.  
52
 27 Convention Center District Authority:  www.prconventiondistrict.com
 28 STRUCTURE magazine
Figure 33: Convention Center District Proposal for uses in the Isla Grande Area 
(Source: www.prconventiondistrict.com)
  The Convention Center District is  located in a 113 acre area that is 
adjacent to the site, in the Isla Grande peninsula and it is strategically located next 
to the Isla Grande Airport and the Cruise Ship Port Terminal in order to facilitate 
guest travel to the Center. Other points of interest nearby are Old San Juan, the 
Condado District (Hotel District), the San Juan Central Park (Parque Central), and 
Plaza Las  Am?ricas Shopping Mall. The district will house 1,170 new hotel rooms 
in order to collaborate with the tourism company?s objective of increasing the hotel 
room inventory in the island and to provide the Convention Center with a place 
where its users can stay and make use of the rest of the commercial facilities.  The 
new community that is being developed in the Convention Center District will 
house more than 500 families  and the further development of 563 residential units 
is  also being planned. In addition, the District is also the new Business Center of 
San Juan with 718,000 square feet of office space planned. 
53
Figure 34: Sheraton Hotel, Residential Building and Convention Center
 (Source: www.prconventiondistrict.com)
   
 The District is also the home to the new park and fountains of the 
Convention District, which has some 13 acres of greenery, walkways and fountains 
that connect the new Convention Center to the San Juan Bay and the Miramar, 
Condado and Puerta de Tierra communities.
 54
San Juan: The Walkable City
 Figure 35: The Walkable City Master Plan
 (Source: www.pr.gov)
  The project?s intents are to ?introduce an integrated public transit system; 
implement a state-of-the-art public realm, establish a pedestrian waterfront loop, 
pedestrianize Old San Juan, revitalize the rundown neighborhoods, protect the 
Isleta from erosion and sea level rise, protect and celebrate the Isleta?s  cultural and 
historic assets, develop and integrate the north and south waterfronts, diversify 
and repopulate the Islet and expand, diversify the Islet?s tourist assets and improve 
the connection the Islet and Isla Grande.?29 (Figure 36)
 55
 29 www.pr.gov
Figure 36: The Walkable City connection to Isla Grande
 (Source: www.pr.gov)
 56
Site Analysis
 Figure 37: San Juan historic area and Naval Base remaining buildings
 (Source: Satellite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author) 
 The site is located 1.7 miles from the historical area of San Juan, which 
allows it to have views of it as well as views of the Cruise Ship Port on the other 
side of the San Antonio Channel. It also has views of the coast of Cata?o and Isla 
de Cabra. Figure 37 shows the area of Isla Grande that still has some structures 
from the Naval Base. 
57
Figure 38: Possible Interactions
 (Source: Satellite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author) 
 There are many opportunities for interaction between the different parts of 
the Isla Grande Peninsula (Figure 38). The Film Festival facilities could benefit 
from the Convention Center District since the district  already started to revitalize 
and reactivate the area. The festival could benefit from the Convention Center by 
hosting some of their activities there. Also, the new Sheraton Hotel could 
accommodate visitors of the Festival. At the same time, the Convention Center, the 
Hotel and other commercial areas would benefit by having the visitors of the 
Festival facilities use the Convention Center District facilities increasing its 
earnings. Relationships  between these two projects could also be based on the 
possibility that the Film Festival Headquarters  could be administered by the Puerto 
Rico Film Commission, which is part of the same agency that administers the 
Convention Center District and the Ports Authority. 
58
 The proximity of a local airport also creates a beneficial relationship 
between the airport and the Festival Facilities. This  small airport is the main traffic 
reliever of the Isla Verde International Airport having most of the private air traffic 
and some commercial flights. Visitors of the Film Festival Facilities that come from 
other parts of the Island or from outside of Puerto Rico have the option of arriving 
at this  airport, which would put them only steps away from their destination and 
would increase the airport?s traffic and gainings. The site?s proximity to the 
waterfront provides with visual connections and possible interactions between the 
activities that take place at the San Juan Bay and the activities at the Festival 
Headquarters. 
Figure 39: Locals and Tourists 
(Source: Satellite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author) 
59
 The site is  located adjacent to the most populated area in Puerto Rico to 
the East and the most popular and visited tourist locations to the north, making it a 
hub where locals and foreigners  will come together, interact and exchange culture, 
ideas and experiences. (Figure 39)
 Figure 40: Transportation
 (Source: Satellite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author) 
 The Site in Isla Grande is  supported by various methods of transportation. 
The peninsula has one of the San Juan Bay Cruise Ship Ports, which brings 
tourists  and people from other countries and other areas of Puerto Rico to the site. 
In addition, the new San Juan Tramway has a total of four stops inside the area of 
Isla Grande, one of them right next to the site. It connects  Isla Grande with the Old 
San Juan Island to the North and crosses through part of Santurce following the 
Juan Ponce de Leon Avenue and connecting with the last stop of the Urban Train 
in Sagrado Corazon Station. The Urban Train then takes the users to others parts 
60
of San Juan passing through the Business and Financial Districts, The Puerto Rico 
Coliseum, The University of Puerto Rico, Hospitals and other commercial and 
residential areas in the City of San Juan, Guaynabo City and Bayam?n City. 
(Figure  40)
 Figure 41: Topography
 (Source: www.pr.gov)
  Although in other parts of Santurce there are topographic slopes that go 
from sea level to 32 meters in height, the Isla Grande peninsula is relatively flat. 
61
Aerial Views 
Figure 42: Aerial View of Isla Grande
 (Source: Alexis19 www.skyscrapercity.com) 
  
Figure 43: Aerial View of Isla Grande and Puerta de Tierra
 (Source: Robert Torres) 
62
Figure 44: Aerial View of Isla Grande and Puerta de Tierra
 (Source: Isa Venturin) 
Figure 45: Aerial View of Site, Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel
 (Source: Alberto Delucca) 
63
Existing Structure
 ?Ruins have a special hold on our emotions because they challenge us to imagine their 
forgotten faith.? 
- Juhani Pallasmaa
 ?Ruins have maximum reality because? defeat restores to things their individual reality.? 
- Jean Paul Sartre 
Figure 46: Hangar Exterior
 (Source: Author)
  The site has an existing structure; a military aircraft hangar built in the 
1940's and designed by architect Albert Kahn. The plan of the Convention Center 
District completely erases the part of the Naval Base on which it stands. By 
keeping Albert Kahn?s building and adapting it to the needs and new uses of the 
festival facilities, this new intervention will take into consideration the historic 
64
aspects of the Isla Grande peninsula, instead of erasing this chapter of Puerto 
Rican history.
 Figure 47: Hangar Elevation, Sections and Detail
 (Source: ACCUPR)
 65
Military Hangar Typology
  Earlier Hangars tend to be unique products of their historical contexts 
while later types often comprise multipurpose design solutions implemented across 
multiple historical periods. The truss system of this particular hangar is a custom 
construction that combines the gable monitor and gable fink truss styles that were 
later standardized for use in the military.
     
Figure 48: Hangar Details
 (Source: Author)
 66
Figure 49: Hangar form Airport 
(Source: Taino www.panoramio.com)
 Figure 50: Hangar Doors
 (Source: Author)
 67
Figure 51: Hangar Interior
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 52: Hangar Interior
  (Source: Author)
 68
Master Plan
  Even though there has been a lot of development around the site, the area 
of the hangar building has  been left abandoned (Figures 53,54,55). The area 
presents issues of underutilized and vacant areas, lack of maintenance, lack of 
connectivity to the waterfront, misuse of methods of public transportation, building 
decay and a poor pedestrian environment. At the same time, the area has a series 
of assets and opportunities  such as the possibility of it becoming a touristic 
destination with the closeness of the Convention Center District, the San Juan Bay 
and the historical part of Old San Juan, the creation of a good walking experience 
for pedestrians  given the peninsula?s dimensions, the abundance of abandoned 
and decayed buildings which gives an opportunity for new developments, 
abundance of vacant lots and underutilized stunning waterfronts. 
Figure 53: Current Conditions of the Site
 (Source: Author)
 69
Figure 54: Current Conditions of the Site
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 55: Current Conditions of the Site
    (Source: Author)
 70
Figure 56: Area of Mater Plan
 (Source: Satellite Image ? Google Earth, Diagram ? Author)
 Figure 57: Master Plan
 (Source: Author) 
71
  A master plan was designed for the area that was not included in the 
convention center district plan and was not part of the airport. 
The principal objectives of the Mater Plan are to: 
 1. Improve pedestrian experience and vehicular accessibility and 
connection to the waterfront and between the site, the Fernando Ribas Dominicci 
Airport and the Convention Center District. 
 2. Make better use of the existing methods of public transportation. 
 3. Ensure economic development for the  area.
  4. Preserve cultural and historical aspects of the district.
  5. Provide spaces that take into account the natural assets of the 
peninsula.
  6.Provide spaces that promote congregation and interaction. 
 7.Turn the underutilized area of the peninsula into a vibrant touristic 
destination. 
 The master plan gives better access to the whole district and connects the 
convention center to the water. It also keep  the hangar  building as  a way to bring 
a cultural and historical  amenity into the district.This  master plan will bring 
communities closer to the site and will turn the area from a container storage site 
to a prominent location.
 72
Figure 58: Proposed Land Use
 (Source: Author)
  Land use:   the plan includes mixed use residential and commercial areas, 
commercial areas around the site, hotel area by the waterfront, office buildings, 
recreation and entertainment areas, parking, a park that wraps around the area 
connecting all the parts, a waterfront promenade and harborside public open 
space. 
73
Figure 59: Master Plan 
(Source: Author)
 Figure 60: Master Plan 
(Source: Author)
 74
Figure 61: Master Plan 
(Source: Author)
 Figure 62: Master Plan 
(Source: Author)
 75
Figure 63: Master Plan Section
 (Source: Author)
  Due to the proximity of the bay and the airport, the buildings grow in height 
as they move away from the center of the airport runway and the waterfront to 
allow all the buildings to have views towards the bay. 
Figure 64: Vehicular Approach
 (Source: Author)
  Analyzing the vehicular approach to the site showed the street that will 
potentially have the most traffic as well as the optimal areas for drop offs. 
76
Figure 65: Pedestrian Approach 
(Source: Author)
  Analysis  of the pedestrian approach to the site showed the areas that 
would potentially receive more people. The upper corners of the site will receive 
pedestrians coming from the Tramway stop and the Airport Terminal. Also, it shows 
the walkable distance from the center of the site which almost covers the entire 
peninsula. 
77
Figure 66: Noise
 (Source: Author)
  The areas of the district that produce more noise are located North of the 
site. The park located adjacent to the site helps to buffer the noise coming from the 
Airport. 
78
Figure 67: Sun and Wind
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 68: Views
 (Source: Author)
 79
 Taking into account the climatic aspects of the area, the best orientation 
for the building is Northeast-Southwest to capture the Trade winds and protect 
from Sunlight(Figure 67).  At the same time, this  orientation maximizes views 
towards the bay. (Figure 68)
 Figure 69: Urban Grid
 (Source: Author)
  These guidelines were traced following the urban form surrounding the 
hangar. They serve to establish the location of the building in the site according to 
those lines to maximize views and access to the site from the surrounding streets. 
80
Figure 70: Urban Grid and Views towards the site
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 71: C Shape
 (Source: Author)
 81
 Figure 70 represents the urban grid and views towards the Hangar 
building in the site. A C shaped volume was inserted in the site following the lines 
of the Hangar building for its original position (Figure 71). This  shape allows the 
building to open up towards the water and provides a defined space for the Hangar 
building to heighten its importance in the project. The building starts  as a regular 
shape that changes and adapts as new inputs  are applied to it, such as climate, 
transportation, urban grid,  program, etc.
 Figure 72: Penetrated Volume
 (Source: Author)
 82
Figure 73: Model of Penetrated Volume
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 74: Model of Penetrated Volume
 (Source: Author)
  The previously traced grid was used to penetrate the site. Figure 72 starts 
showing mayor changes  to the original form and the first steps of incorporating 
idea of fiction through changes in geometry. 
83
Figure 75: Volumes with angled walls
 (Source: Author)
  Figure 75 shows the ground level in darker brown and gives an idea of the 
second level in lighter brown. The second level projects further than the first to 
provide the perimeter of the ground level with shade. 
84
Figure 76: Model of volumes with angled walls
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 77: Model of volumes with angled walls
 (Source: Author)
 85
Figure 78: Model of volumes with angled walls
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 79: Contrast in Geometry
 (Source: Author)
 86
 The exterior faces of the volumes maintain straight lines  to provide urban 
continuity. The interior faces of the volumes are rotated to orient views towards the 
interior of the site and to allow the second level to have more square footage. The 
rotated faces are also angled to protect the interior of the building and perimeter of 
the ground level from sunlight (Figure 79)
 Figure 80: Existing Structure and New Building
 (Source: Author)
  Figure 80 represents the existing structure, the Hangar building, and the 
new building, which can also be interpreted as an element of fiction because of the 
contrast between the two. 
87
Figure 81: General Program Distribution
 (Source: Author)
  Figure 81 shows the general distribution of the program, with the 
production studios on the left, the film festival program next to and inside the 
hangar, the administrative offices and cultural center on the right. The Film Festival 
and Cultural Center program are located on the streets with more commercial 
activity. 
88
Project
 Figure 82: General view
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 83: Ground level Floor Plan
 (Source: Author)
 89
 The ground level has the Film Festival building, which has a theater for 
150 people and a concessions area, the Production Studio, the Administration 
Offices, a Gallery and a Restaurant.
 Figure 84: Plaza
 (Source: Author)
  There is  a plaza that crosses beneath the hangar building. It serves as the 
main entrance to the complex. From this  area users can access all parts of the 
complex. This plaza space also relates to the blocks in front and behind the site 
(Figure 85). Inside the Hangar building there is a glass volume that had the 
entrance to the Film Festival building and the Box Office. Also, there is  a theater 


 90
that hangs from the roof of the Hangar building and has a digital screen on one of 
its exterior walls  that projects movies and other media to a seating area located in 
the plaza (Figure 86). 
Figure 85: Aerial View
 (Source: Author)
 91
Figure 86: Plaza theater
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 87: Red Carpet
 (Source: Author)
 92
In addition, the red carpet area is located in the plaza underneath the Hangar 
building (Figure 87).
 Figure 88: View towards the gallery
 (Source: Author)
  To the right of the plaza, there is the area of the cultural center with a 
digital gallery area that comes out to the plaza with a series of screens that project 
different events around the site. In addition, this  area offers a multi use seating 
area that is  also utilized by the library on the second level for activities such as 
storytelling and talks. 
93
Figure 89: Inside the Hangar
 (Source: Author)
  Inside the hangar there are tree areas that offer a contrast between the 
natural and the man-made. 
Figure 90: Exterior Seating Area
 (Source: Author)
 94
 There are areas with exterior seating like the exterior amphitheater in front 
of the production studio and exterior seating for the restaurant (Figure 90)
 Figure 91: View of side entrance
 (Source: Author)
  Figure 91 shows the side entrance to the plaza inside the hangar building 
that passes in front of the Film Festival building. It connects  to the park This 
entrance connects to the park next to the site (Figure 85). 
95
Figure 92: View of Film Festival building lobby
 (Source: Author) 
 Inside the main lobby there is an area to buy concessions and an seating 
area with tables. From the lobby people can enjoy projections on the screen in the 
second level. 
Figure 93: View of the Projection Box
 (Source: Author)
 96
 Also, from the lobby users have a view of the projection box that controls  
all the screens in the complex (Figure 93). 
Figure 94: Second Level Floor Plan
 (Source: Author)
  The second level has the main theater for 400 people, the second level of 
the Production Studio and supporting spaces, the second level of the 
Administrative offices, a Library and the Cultural Center. It also contains the access 
to the theater that hangs from the roof of the Hangar building. 
97
Figure 95: View of the Second level lobby
 (Source: Author)
  The lobby of the second level has direct views towards the San Juan Bay.
 Figure 96: Section
 (Source: Author)
  The section shows the access to the Hangar theater. 
98
Figure 97: View of back entrance to Hangar plaza
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 98: Interior Elevation
 (Source: Author)
 Figure 99: Northeast Elevation
 (Source: Author)
 99
 The exterior walls of buildings in the complex are all glazed except the 
parts  of the program that require close and silent environments. The glass is 
protected by louvers that peal back and open up depending the program inside or 
to allow views to the bay and the park (Figures 98, 99,100). 
Figure 100: Facade Wall Section
 (Source: Author)
 100
Conclusion
  During the thesis public presentation of this project, some of the jurors 
commented about how the idea of reality and fiction would not necessarily be 
clearly read by the users of the project. Suggestions were made about exploring 
those ideas further so that they can be more clearly read by users. The original 
intent of the incorporation of ideas of reality and fiction was not to have a series of 
defined elements that would represent fiction and reality in the architecture 
because that would lead to an architecture that is merely symbolic and fictional, 
instead of a balance between the two. The ideas of reality and fiction are based on 
the interpretation and experience of contrasting elements and events by the users 
individually. It is not meant as a global recognition of these elements  but a personal 
experience and perception of them by each individual. Taking into consideration 
the suggestions of the reviewers, more  contrasting element, such as altering the 
topography and incorporating more digital technologies,  could be added that 
would reinforce the concept and help trigger the perception and interpretation of 
these ideas of an architecture that is balanced between reality and fiction. 
 Some comments were made about the influence of the urban grid and 
view lines in the shaping of the volumes of the project. Jurors  questioned the 
decision of choosing which lines were considered and why. The urban grid and 
view lines were considered in the process of design as one of the series of inputs 
that informed the shape of the volumes to allow for better access and guarantee 
views towards the hangar building, but the decision of which lines influenced more 
than the others was  not clearly expressed in the diagrams. The view lines and the 
101
lines that came from the existing hangar building had more influence over the 
design than the lines coming from the urban forms  (Figure 101). On the other 
hand, As one juror commented, the PRIFF building is  a cultural institution that 
could stand out from the urban surroundings  without needing to follow or be 
constraint by the urban conditions. If this is considered then the PRIFF building 
could adopt a more free and contrasting form that could reinforce the ideas of 
reality and fiction. 
Figure 101:View lines and Hangar lines
 (Source: Author)
  Another topic that was discussed was the relationship between the project 
and the park on the left, the plaza in front of it and the waterfront. These 
relationships need to be studied even further to provide an integration of all the 
102
parts  so that each of them can take advantage of the others reinforcing the 
strength of the PRIFF facility as a cultural institution and prominent location in the 
San Juan metropolitan area. Also, it was  suggested that other issues of inclement 
weather, like hurricanes, should be considered when designing for a location like 
Puerto Rico. The facade of the building could be further developed to address 
these issues and to serve as a protector screen for the areas of the buildings that 
are made of glass. 
 Looking at the entire process and experience of this  thesis, this  project 
gives the opportunity to consider and study a typology that has only been studied 
twice before in the headquarters for the Toronto International Film Festival and the 
Cannes International Film Festival. It offers an awareness of the possibilities and 
opportunities that this  typology provides and how it can easily become a trigger 
and hub for culture and the making of civic space. 
 Since this project started at the scale of the city with the design of the 
master plan for the Isla Grande peninsula, it allowed for the exploration of urban 
ideas that  take into consideration the many attributes of the area as well as its 
constraints. It also made possible the study and design of a proper site for the 
PRIFF building to allow it to be a prominent element in the area. Finally, this thesis 
allowed for architectural explorations at the scale of the building with the design of 
the headquarters for the festival, the adaptation and reuse of an existing historical 
building and the creation of  public exterior spaces.
 103
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