White House

The “White House” began after the client purchased a long neglected house in the gated community of Estate Shoys. His vision became to transform this dated house into the present day all white gem: updated but yet distinctly Caribbean in nature. This remodel is only partially completed with a future build out to reprogram interior spaces and to expand the existing deck into an impressive stepped terrace to accommodate large gatherings and parties. 

Brand new electrical, plumbing and ac systems paired with CGI impact resistant doors and windows help morph this pavilion styled residence into a modern day domicile. ​Extensive landscaping next to existing mature trees ground this refurbished residence into its amazing setting: sparkling white clothed in verdant green.

All renovation photographs by Nicole Canegata

Services:

Conceptual Design
Schematic Design
Development Design

Construction Documents

Construction Administration

3D Rendering
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A refashioned "Hus af lys" or house of light in Danish is a contemporary residence located on the beautiful North Shore of St. Croix. This modernist design is derived from placing a circular plinth topped with a square volume as the catalyst for this distinct residence. This volume is divided into program zones: 1. an arrival gallery; 2. a main open plan block with living/kitchen & master suite; 3. a circulation bar; and 4. a bedroom suite block. 

The geometries superimposed on the trapezoidal site maximize the views toward the Caribbean Sea and Hams Bluff towards the Northwest. These volumes are placed on a circular plinth which allows the residence to pivot specifically to capture stunning views while ensuring varying levels of privacy from adjacent subdivision roads. A large oversized gallery is created as a typical grand entrance to the residence situated perpendicular to the entry roadway and on the oblique. This residence is designed to allow integrated interior/exterior living which is a trademark of Caribbean living.  Large openings and vertical spaces define brightly illuminated interiors while framing lush land and water views. The main living space leads to a circular terrace with an outdoor dining space that leads to a lap pool and jacuzzi set perpendicular to the Caribbean Sea. All bedrooms have beautiful sea views and vary in position ensuring each is unique in feel and atmosphere.

Finishes include a cream limestone gallery veneer wall, stained concrete, and terrazzo floors, smooth white plastered walls, translucent and standing seam roofing panels, and concrete roofs that can support solar panels. Hurricane impact E-glass provides substantial glazing and light while being able to perform during high wind load events. 

Even as a contemporary design, the residence's volumes make reference to the large iconic stone structures strewn throughout the Crucian landscape: former vestiges of plantation architecture erected by exceptionally skilled enslaved African craftsmen, at times, left in a ruinous state which grounds this design in the present while still respecting the site's rich cultural past. As a  homage, the villa has been named Ile Imole: in Yoruba which means "House of Light".

Site: .625 acres Main Residence - 3 Bedroom 3.5 Baths: 2,600 s.f., Carport: 480 s.f., Cistern: 26,000 gallons 

Services:

Conceptual Design
Schematic Design
Development Design

3D Rendering

Haiti: House for Life defines the basic need for human shelter with the concept that Caribbean residences must last a lifetime. The design is structurally resilient and is flexible to meet International Building Code requirements while allowing for varying forms of sustainable construction methods and different construction price points depending on the property owner, family size, and site conditions. For this prototype installation, the team decided to use a steel re-inforced concrete block masonry building system which has proven to be a very sustainable building system. As demonstrated on the team’s structural model on a RISA 3D structural modeling program, the curved is continually self-bracing. Modeling studies show the use of a continuous bond beam which adds rigidity throughout the form.

The design premise is to have a prototype that is as functionally self-sustaining as possible. We have included elevated cisterns that provide rainfall catchment with gravity feed to units on the ground floor. Electrical pumps powered by solar panels are to be installed on the roofing. Electrical power for lighting is to be provided with inverter boxes tied to solar panels on roofs. Solar water heaters located on the roof will provide heated water. Exterior areas will cultivate fruit and vegetable gardens and provide park areas and children's playgrounds. All sewage lines will be sent to artificial wetlands and/or sewage treatment plants. The design also 
celebrates Haitian culture with architectural detailing that is considered exclusively Haitian and is reminiscent of West African forms from which 90% of Haiti’s people are descendants. “Adding the fenestration and other Haitian architectural details to our Haiti: House for Life will hopefully encourage personal attachment for each owner and encourage the inclusion of the artist community,” says Nicole Hollant-Denis, President, AARRIS Architects, in her own words.

Haiti: House for Life was designed by St. Croix Architect Gerville R. Larsen, A.I.A., and New York Architect Nicole Hollant-Denis. Mr. Larsen and Ms. Hollant-Denis were classmates at Cornell University. Competition was funded by the Republic of Haiti and the Clinton Foundation. 

Services:

Conceptual Design
Schematic Design
Development Design
Construction Documents

Construction Administration

3D Rendering

Project Architect:

Gerville Larsen, A.I.A.

​Nicole Hollant-Denis, A.I.A.

The Lost Cemetery of Estate Bethlehem is a unique project that develops the sacred burial site of enslaved Africans recently uncovered under an Emperor Tamarind Tree. Their unmarked graves are being preserved through the creation of a monument honoring their lives and names. To enhance the site's sanctity and to define the burials, an ADA ramp leads to (2) mounds that surround each site allowing persons to visit, meditate and reflect on the contributions of these formerly lost but not forgotten people.

Creating earth mounds that rest respectfully over the burial sites allows the graves to remain undisturbed while providing a base for the new concrete walkways and curbs to be constructed. Using the Tradewinds as a catalyst to move sculptures in the tree and produce musical notes help ensure this sacred space is not static and helps resurrect the memory of those individuals resting there. Indigenous materials such as caliche stone & shells are infused in the curbs and walking surfaces as a tribute to those same materials that are encapsulated in the rubble stone structures built by our ancestors. The placement of burials beneath the tamarind tree is not solely for the deceased as a sacred space, but is also a convening place for our storytelling (oral history traditions) locally known as " 'Tory Under deh Taman Tree". Many former plantations on St. Croix and in the Territory, have these sacred burial sites of our ancestors which were typically located in similar places, especially under large ceremonial trees such as the Tamarind: all divine places found in African culture and folklore transplanted to our shores. 

Due to concise records, the history of the Enslaved Africans that were forcibly brought to the former Danish West Indies, the present U.S. Virgin Islands can be found and their stories told. The conch shells' grave markers are a traditional element in formal cemeteries on the islands and are eloquent symbols to be placed on each burial. Also, an Enslaved African blowing a conch shell is a well-known image representing the emancipation achieved by their revolt on St. Croix, July 3, 1848, which is an apropos symbolic marker for this project. Kinetic sculptures in the Tamarind Trees and chimes embedded in the concrete berms activate these solemn burial sites. Sound as well as textured surfaces give homage to these former plantation laborers who built the former structures that still stand at the site today and are responsible for the rich culture and heritage that graces this Territory.

Services:  

Conceptual Design

Schematic Design

Development Design  

Construction Documents

3D Rendering

CASA ROJAS:

A proposed Bed & Breakfast/Live Work development located in the heart of the historic town of Christiansted. Casa Rojas bridges varying historic periods with contemporary additions that create a cohesive urban compound. Casa Rojas is a unique property that sits a block up from Sunday Market Square, named for the enslaved Africans that were allowed to sell their produce and/or wares only on Sundays. This design is a Case Study and one of several architecture projects used in the Christiansted Town Plan competition that was won by Gerville Larsen by both popular and juried votes on December 9, 2013. This town plan has been enacted in 2016 by the Enterprise Zone Division of the V.I. Economic Development Authority.

The design sits on 20AA, 20AB & 20B Queen Street comprised of 2 historic vernacular cottages built around circa 1860s & 1875 and a historic mid-century modern building built in 1954. The original lot 20 was a singular one that had a large traditional townhouse as indicated on the Oxholm Map in 1779. This structure was removed several decades prior to the construction of the 1954 townhouse.

The pastel color scheme selected is one that is traditionally used in this historic town. It is also used to define the varying ages of the structures that sit in the compound. The rose-colored limewash paint represents the mid-century modern structure and compound perimeter walls while highlighting the namesake of the continuous property owners who bought the property in 1952. The linen color is used on the red cedar shingles to demark the age of the vernacular cottages. White, pearl grey, and pale yellow define all new additions and structures on the site. Finally, the stone-clad walls reference the ubiquitous masonry rubble walls that most historic structures are made of in the town.  

The stone-clad wall is weaved through the lots creating rich interior rooms that define varying uses in the compound. The second-floor façade is clad in a cementitious board defines the contemporary annex to this building clearly representing itself as a present-day infill structure. This compact site is outfitted with unifying repetitive elements that create varying and visually layered zones delineating an entry courtyard, an elevated open pavilion with a pool, and an adjoining brick-paved historic yard fronting the 2 vernacular cottages. Contemporary elements such as metal columns and wooden louvered panels are juxtaposed with traditional materials of stone, brick, and limewash paints which help ground this unique Christiansted historic property in the present day while still honoring its past.

Services: 

Conceptual Design

Schematic Design

Development Design

Construction Documents