Anguilla Strong
While many of our neighboring islands lost huge amounts of their housing stock to Hurricane Irma, Anguilla weathered the storm remarkably well, not because we got off lightly, simply because we build strong, Anguilla Strong.
Anguillian properties are built to last and weather the toughest of storms.
Local architect Vanburn (Andy) Brookes of Morlens Architecture Services says that building strong is a fundamental part of Anguillian culture.
“We own our own land and we own our own property. We protect it and no one tells us what to do with it. We build to keep and to pass down, not to sell. Anguillians build for safety and longevity. They normally pour concrete roofs and use robust material with a long shelf life.”
Vanburn Andy Brookes of Morlens Architecture Services
Anguillian homes are built with cisterns to supply their own water and, at a safe ‘set back’ from the ocean. Building a private home on the beach is (mainly) prohibited.
Andy, a graduate of The Spitzer School of Architecture at City College, NYC, and a Rose Fellow, has used his skills in architecture, interior design, construction management and project management on a many private homes and tourism properties (most recently Zemi Beach) all of which weathered the storm.
He fuses international education with local intelligence to produce, “what I like to call ‘design for good’. I listen to what my client wants and I give them honest feedback. I translate that into a design that meets their needs and which can really work here. I have a great track record for doing that”.
