The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture is an institution of

higher learning ''Higher Learning'' is a 1995 American drama, drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Om ...

granting degrees in the field of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. It is located in the

Ponce Historic Zone The Ponce Historic Zone (''La Zona Histórica de Ponce'') is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico, consisting of buildings and structures with architecture that date to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone go ...

, across from

Plaza Las Delicias Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within the plaza, ...

. It was established in 2009. Together with the

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

, it is one of two semi-autonomous professional colleges of the

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...

(PCUPR) in the city of

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

. In 2010, the school won an award from the Southern Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce for ''Valor del Año en Educacion'' (Courage of the Year in Education). The school is accredited by the

National Architectural Accrediting Board The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), established in 1940, is the oldest accrediting agency for architectural education in the United States. The NAAB accredits professional degrees in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. r ...

(NAAB). It has a teaching staff of 40 and a student body of 300. The current dean of the school is Luis Badillo Lozano.

History

The history of the school dates back to 2007 when a group of Puerto Rican professionals got together and toyed with the idea of creating a school of architecture to serve southern Puerto Rico. A formal proposal was reviewed by ex-governor

Rafael Hernandez Colon Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

, who, at the time, was a member of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of the PCUPR. Hernandez Colon presented the plan to the Board and it received unanimous approval. After securing facilities, personnel, and other fundamentals, the school opened its doors in August 2009. The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture is the third architecture school established in Puerto Rico. It is located in downtown Ponce, about half a mile from the main campus of the university at Las Americas Avenue. It was founded in August 2009.

Facilities

The school is located at the historic Forteza Building on Atocha street, between Cristina and Isabel streets, in front of Plaza Las Delicias. It was the result of a 14 million dollar investment. With some $4 million in high-tech equipment "it is one of the most modern rchitecture schoolsin the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. The renovation and programmatic adaptation of the historic Forteza building was designed by architect

Segundo Cardona Segundo Cardona FAIA (born 1950) is a Puerto Rican architect and developer. His work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), by the ''Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico'' (Puerto Rico Col ...

FAIA (SCF Architects). The project won the 2010 Honor Mention (Built Project Category) from the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

(AIA), Puerto Rico Chapter. Students at the School of Architecture enjoy all of the resources of the

. The University offers an array of physical activities including fitness classes; weight training; jogging track; basketball and outdoor pool. It also benefits from its location in the city of Ponce, home to various architectural styles dating back several centuries and including the likes of museums, churches, theaters, pompous homes - even a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Mission

The stated mission of the school is "to educate and forge a new architect, planner, thinker and entrepreneur in an interdisciplinary environment; one within which the understanding of the territorial and urban complexity , as well as the regional, and global economic dynamics operate with advanced technologies and knowledge to guide sustainable investments and interventions."

Programs

The 5-year architecture program at the school leads to a

Bachelor of Architecture The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world. Australia Architectural education in Australia varies depending on the university offering th ...

. It is currently the only program the school offers.Academic Programs

References

External links