EoF: Stories - Carlos Martinez is a young architect who created a small business after the hurricane of September 2017
by Maria Gaglione
published in Avvenire on 31/01/2020
“20 September 2017: a category five hurricane hits the north eastern Caribbean and causes catastrophic damage on my island: Puerto Rico. 91.6 billion of damage (in USD - the tr.), 99% of the island left without electricity and hundreds of deaths. It was the most violent natural disaster in 89 years. The next morning, my life changed dramatically. Three months without water and five months without electricity made me realize that it was time to take a different look at my professional future. It was time to take a step back and imagine how my architectural studies could contribute to the reconstruction of the island. I had to and wanted to do more”.
That’s the beginning of the story of Carlos Martinez, born in 1994, now an entrepreneur. He is the CEO of a small real estate consulting and construction company named 376 Development and Construction which was born in 2017, as a sign of concrete hope to look to the future. The images of his land wounded by the hurricane are still in Carlos' eyes, along with those of hundreds of thousands of people isolated for days, without access to food, drinking water and medicines. All the damage done to people, houses, streets. The desire to leave, to rebuild, to stay. "Our team is competent in all disciplines necessary to realize a real estate project (design, architecture, engineering, construction, maintenance of structures). We have developed projects in different sectors from hospitality to hospitals, private houses, accommodation for families with low income. Despite the diversity of our projects, over time the main objective has become to build housing for low-income families to fight poverty with an inclusive approach for local communities. As property designers, we know that our work has a huge social and environmental impact in the surrounding areas. For this reason, for example, the company's decision making processes are participatory, i.e. they aim to involve the local communities affected by the project by valuing their suggestions and concerns to keep up hope and guarantee new opportunities". Rebuilding the islands after a hurricane is a much more complex task than simply building new buildings. Engineers and architects, in fact, are faced with a particular situation: rebuilding infrastructure that is likely to be hit again by another devastating hurricane. And that's not all. It’s about working to rebuild in a context of devastation and deep economic crisis.
The hurricane that hit the island of Puerto Rico in September 2017 left behind hundreds of victims and immeasurable damage. The island was essentially destroyed by the fury of the hurricane and the return to normality was a very difficult and long process. "That's why," Carlos tells us "from day one, our design approach has been to build with resilience. All our projects comply with international green design regulations and standards. As an entrepreneur, I have felt and still feel a responsibility to do everything possible to avoid or limit damage by possible future catastrophes". They call themselves game-changers and Carlos emphasizes: "Our entire team is committed to building a new sustainable global economy within our professional field. It's time for us to make a difference, with our projects, our communities and our bricks; indeed," he adds about The Economy of Francesco, "it's my generation's responsibility to make a difference. With the desire to change, the commitment and generosity typical of our generation, we can build a more just world. In the uproar of so many small distractions and selfish drives, the call to revive the global economy must stimulate us. Without doubt, this event will help me to network and open new perspectives on sustainable and inclusive development. I can’t wait to be in Assisi and at the same time to strengthen this inalienable desire to build a better world”.