In December, 1958, La Concha Resort opened to rave reviews, and was hailed as a shining moment in the Tropical Modernism movement’s heyday in Puerto Rico. The structure is considered a crowning achievement of local architects Osvaldo Toro and Miguel Ferrer, designers of the Tel Aviv Hilton and the Puerto Rico Supreme Court building, among others. |
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Perla, the signature seashell-shaped floating restaurant designed by internationally-renowned architect Mario Salvatori, was termed “a marvel of engineering and architecture” and “one of the high-water marks of Puerto Rico’s national architecture.” |
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La Concha Resort incorporates tropical climate features such as cross-ventilation, natural illumination, open lobbies and seamless transitions between inside and outside spaces, with details relevant to Island traditions: an interior patio, visual allusions to traditional galleries with blinds, a mirador encompassing both the sea and the city and the use of water throughout as a leitmotif. |
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The protective concrete element in the façade, called brise-soleil in French or “quiebrasol” in Spanish, is an architectural element used by famed architect Le Corbusier. The purpose of the “quiebrasol” is to filter the sun’s rays towards the interior corridors. |
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Like lace, it creates shadows and silhouettes that precisely match the corridor floor patterns – just another testament to the creative brilliance that designed this property. |
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