An update from the construction site of our project Captain Quarters on Saba. We’re working on the reconstruction of this historic building, that is being transformed into a residential home.
A ‘new’ interior
Right now, they are finishing the wall covering inside the building. Originally there was an interior with vertical wooden planks on the wall. We have brought that back into our design. What we have adjusted compared to the old design is adding insulation material in the walls. The roof is also insulated.
Insulating homes is still special for Saba. People do not yet realize the importance of insulation and using it to keep the heat out.
Color choices
The building is not a monument, but it is the reconstruction of a historical heritage building. You do this as truthfully as possible. The choice of color plays an important role in this.
The cladding outside is also ready and the painting is finished. The facade will be white again, as it once was. The roof will be painted red, which is the standard color for a roof on Saba. The building is increasingly regaining the recognizable shape of the past.
The history behind the building
Once this was a 19th-century whaling captain’s house and later it was expanded and converted into one of the finest hotels. The hotel was the place for important, political meetings and played an important role in the history of Saba. But it got destroyed by hurricane George in 1998. The building had not been given a new purpose since then.
Because of the important role that the building played, we wanted to do a reconstruction. A reconstruction is not always necessary and not self-evident. But because of the layered stories here, we thought it was important to opt for reconstruction – and so did our client.
How do you make a design of something that has been destroyed? We based our design on old schematic drawings and on archive-photos that we collected from the local community. We collected images from as many angles as possible to find out what it looked like. Right down to the level of detail. On this page you can read more about how we designed this reconstruction and how we wanted to preserve the authenticity of the site.
