The Firm
RIVERA + ALEJANDRO is a multidisciplinary team of professionals grouped to provide comprehensive services in the field of architecture and engineering. Their technical staff, composed of architects and civil engineers is backed-up by consultants in the fields of electrical, geotechnical and mechanical engineering, to form a well-rounded professional team capable of successfully completing any project within the construction industry.
RIVERA + ALEJANDRO was established in 1980 by Architect Héctor M. Rivera Fragoso and Engineer José R. Alejandro García; each with more than forty (40) years of expertise in a wide range of design projects. Both partners have been fully active in the administration and direction of the firm since its inception.
RIVERA + ALEJANDRO is committed to insuring the highest quality and excellence of the services it provides. The consequence of a good design in term of its efficiency, security and aesthetics is a fundamental principle for the firm, and it is an added value to the interests of the clients. The details, the proportions, the facades, the volumes and the location of the buildings within a site of a RIVERA + ALEJANDRO design are rigorously thought through in such a way that the final design will not only comply with the client’s program and objectives, but also will contribute significantly to the natural and built environment of its surroundings.
RIVERA + ALEJANDRO has been very successful with working through the complexities and challenges that the architectural and engineering fields present. This is due to their formula that combines the experience and innovation of its team. In addition to the extensive experience of the firm, its professionals are in a continuous process of renovation through continuing education, technical training, and the study and use of new construction systems, materials and new design and construction methods.
Architect Héctor Rivera, director of the architectural department of RIVERA + ALEJANDRO, has been responsible for many architectural designs of educational, institutional, recreational, residential, urban planning, interior design, and urban renewal projects. Among these were his award winning proposals “Plaza Quinto Centenario y Aparcamiento Soterrado” in Old San Juan and “Triángulo Las Nereidas” at Condado, Puerto Rico. Architect Rivera is a professional architect licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with license number 7407.
Engineer José Alejandro, director of the engineering department of RIVERA + ALEJANDRO, has been involved in a wide variety of projects in the field of civil engineering and related services such as bridge and highway facilities, hydrologic-hydraulic studies, structural design and environmental assessment studies. Engineer Alejandro is a professional engineer licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with license number 5805.
RIVERA + ALEJANDRO has successfully executed services for all design phases related to the site, architectural development, structural and plumbing systems for major architectural and engineering projects. The firm’s technical support is provided by architects, engineers, computer technicians and administrative professionals as office support. The team is complemented by consultants in the related fields.
Staff
JOSUÉ ORTIZ – ARCHITECT
Architect Ortiz earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras Campus in 1995. He joined Rivera + Alejandro in 2000 after five years of experience. Currently responsible for daily operations of the architectural department, he supports Principal Architect Rivera by coordinating schematic, preliminary and construction drawings. Ortiz is highly skilled in educational and healthcare projects as well as code compliance.
MELANY NOEL – ARCHITECT
Architect Noel completed a Bachelor of Arts degree Magna Cum Laude in Environmental Design (2005) and a Master of Architecture (2007) at the University of Puerto Rico. In 2013 she joined Rivera + Alejandro as an associate and also became a Construction Documents Technologist (CDT) certified by CSI. She collaborates on schematic and as-built drawings under senior supervision. Noel is especially adept in master planning, conceptual design, final presentations, 3D renderings, and material research.
Principals
JOSÉ ALEJANDRO: PRINCIPAL ENGINEER AND CONTRACT MANAGER
Engineer Alejandro is co-founder of the firm ‘Rivera + Alejandro, Architects and Engineers’. His academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, completed in 1969 at the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University, NY, in 1970. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico issued his Engineer’s professional license # 5805 in 1971. For the next six years his chief role was as Structural Engineer for the firm Rafael Bermúdez & Associates, working mainly in the structural design of buildings and bridges. In 1976 he founded the Civil Engineering Consulting Firm José R. Alejandro. He joined forces with Architect Héctor Rivera in the partnership for the firm ‘Rivera + Alejandro, Architects and Engineers’ in 1980 until this date. He is fully responsible for overseeing the civil engineering phase of the firm’s projects and contract managing processes. He has full responsibility of all civil engineering technical specifications and is the main coordinator for all the project’s consultants. Engineer Alejandro is highly skilled in the design of educational, governmental, residential, industrial and commercial multi-story building facilities, multi-story parking structures, recreational facilities, and highway and pedestrian bridges. He also works extensively with environmental, hydrologic and hydraulic studies. His affiliations include the Institute of Engineers and Surveyors of PR, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, the American Concrete Institute, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the International Code Council.
HÉCTOR M.RIVERA: PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT
Architect Héctor M. Rivera (b. 1949 – d. 2020) was the director of the architectural department and a founding partner of the firm ‘Rivera + Alejandro, Architects and Engineers’, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico since 1980. He was responsible for the architectural design of educational, institutional, recreational, residential, urban planning, interior design, and urban renewal projects of the firm. He was recognized for his award-winning proposals for “Plaza Quinto Centenario y Aparcamiento Soterrado” in Old San Juan and for the “Triangulo Las Nereidas” at Condado, Puerto Rico.