For our 25th anniversary, we highlighted several projects from our quarter-century-old portfolio. This time, we will tell you how we handle heritage projects, and more specific: reconstruction projects. We do this by means of our Captain Quarters project on Saba, that is currently being built.
An important theme in our portfolio is how we deal with buildings that have a monumental status. In some cases, we even treat buildings without such a status as if they did, because of the amount of heritage values and cultural-historical elements. Such as with our project in the Helenastraat and villa Emmastad on Curacao. It is about preserving as much authenticity as possible. When it comes to a reconstruction project, you can ask yourself: ‘Is a monument that has been reconstructed with new materials in the same way as the building still authentic?’.
An important question that we asked ourselves with Captain Quarters, a reconstruction project that we started in 2018 on Saba. Here, reconstruction was the only option for us, because the building played such an important part in the island’s history. But reconstruction is not always necessary and not self-evident. Because of the layered stories here, we thought it was important to opt for reconstruction – and so did our client.
Where to start?
A short summary of the history of this place: in 1870 the foundation was laid for this house, then a single-storey building. From 1914 it was the residence of Captain Henry Hassell and the house was extended with an extra floor. After 1965 it became a a hotel, where all kinds of important meetings took place. After a hurricane in 1998, the building was destroyed – as you can see on the last picture. Now, the building is being rebuilt according to a reconstruction design, as a residential project.
But how do you make a design of something that has been destroyed? We made a design based on old drawings from the book Monuments of Saba and collected photos from private archives of residents. This way we could see the old building from every angle and work on the reconstruction. Even the details in the facade are being brought back in the same way.
What will it look like?
The building looks like the traditional Saban houses with a white facade and red roof. The stonework has portrayed white joints, which is typical for more important buildings in Saba. We mimicked shingle façade finish we saw in the pictures of the old building. Also, the banisters in the railings were designed to the example taken from old pictures of the Captains Quarter.
How to build?
Because the house was complete destroyed during a hurricane in the nineties we used heavier lumber for the frame of the house. But besides that, we stayed as close as possible to the typical wood frame houses of Saba. The lumber of the structure was manufactured pre-assembled in Maine by the Shelter institute, and then shipped to Saba.
We also use the same wood materials for the interior as were originally there. But we do apply modern techniques such as applying insulation to the home. Something that is not often done in new construction on Saba. Lyongo: “It is always interesting to try to understand a monument and the way it was build and based on that create the reconstruction drawings. But also to make the necessary modifications with respect to the original design so that you have a building that can function again in our age and time.”
Besides the woodframe the rest of the construction of the home was done in the traditional way. The contractor was very keen in hiding steel anchors necessary for a more hurricane resistant building, this is just one example of the specific skills and love for carpentry that you must have to be able to do with a reconstruction.
The project is currently under construction and will hopefully finish next year.
