formidable construction challenges. Positioned near the Puerto Rican trench, the second-largest fault line globally after San Andreas, the territory experiences over a thousand earthquakes annually, with magnitudes reaching 5.2. Combined with hurricane threats and corrosive salt air, these conditions demand exceptional building standards. “We’re building for seismic activity as well as wind and water activity,” Fetterhoff emphasizes. “We get anywhere between two to three earthquakes a day.” JPK’s response involves full concrete construction from floor to ceiling, a departure from typical mainland building methods.The company’s expertise in masonry proves essential for structures that must withstand both Category 5 hurricanes and constant seismic stress. Terrain presents additional obstacles.“A lot of times we have to hand dig for certain things because we can’t get the trucks and the machinery into a certain location,” Fetterhoff explains. “They’ll have to carry every board in and every board out at the end of the day.” When JPK built a solar farm installing 40,000 panels on cliff faces, they hired 60 additional laborers to hand-carry materials across steep, inaccessible terrain. The company’s architect partner designs specifically for these constraints, understanding that plans may require sudden adjustments. “We could break ground and have to move the house 20 feet to the left or 20 feet to the right because of a rock that can’t be moved,” Fetterhoff notes. Many architects overdesign structures, inflating costs unnecessarily. JPK’s integrated approach, with Jay Knoepfel bringing three decades of local construction experience, allows them to balance structural integrity with practical island engineering. THE POWER OF LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS AND LOYAL CREWS JPK’s success hinges on relationships cultivated over decades, both with suppliers and employees who understand island construction’s unique demands. “Getting anything from concrete to steel to plumbing fixtures and finishes, we rely on all of our vendors for those things,” Fetterhoff explains. Material acquisition resembles grocery shopping on the island, where completing a list requires visiting multiple specialized stores. JPK maintains relationships with Heavy Materials for concrete supply, Unimix for additional materials, MSI and Interiors for building supplies, and East End Lumber for specialty items. Speed often trumps price in their calculations. “If it costs an extra hundred dollars for one person, but it’ll get here three days 18 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 07
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx