Leading Architects To Design Governor's Harbour
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from January 1974.
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"It is a most exciting project, and we are looking forward to being involved," said Raymond A. McIntyre, the Architectural Partner who will be the Master Planner for the 450-acre development fronting Grand Cayman's famous Seven Mile Beach. Contracts covering the appointment were signed at Interbank House recently by Jean Doucet, as president of Governor's Harbour Ltd., the Sterling Bank & Trust Company subsidiary which recently acquired the project, and by Conrad R. Rutkowski, engineering partner.
Also present for the signing were John S. Thomson, Engineering Partner, and Jack O'Connell, Rutkowski, Bradford and Partners Resident Partner in Cayman, with Sterling Bank's special projects director Bob Mackin. Mr. Doucet said that one of the first concerns of the Planners would be to reduce the density of development envisaged in the previous owners' plans by at least 50 p.c. This was to be achieved by the creation of large areas of open parkland and community facilities such as schools, churches and sports areas, which had not been included in the first phase of previous layouts. Soon after taking over the project, Mr. Doucet made it clear that the prime intention of Governor's Harbour Ltd. was not to retail land but to build and sell homes, some of which would be retained by the company for rental.
Special features of the layout are underground piped water and sewerage systems, a desalination plant, and 20,000 ft. of seawall protecting the many waterfront lots. Rutkowski, Bradford and Partners have won an envied reputation in the Cayman Islands for the buildings they have designed here in recent years. In addition to the Legislative Assembly and the Law Courts these include the new Police Headquarters and the Government's new Administrative Offices.
And the Kingston-based firm is even better known for the many projects it has designed throughout the Caribbean. Mr. McIntyre, who will have special responsibility for the Governor's Harbour planning, joined the Partnership last year after eight years with the Jamaican Ministry of Works, latterly as Chief Architect. He was involved in the planning and design of a large variety of projects, including hospitals, schools, offices, post offices and police stations, and for two years was in charge of a study of the future airport needs of Jamaica.
Born in Westmoreland, he went to Jamaica College then gained a Degree in Architecture at Sheffield University, England, where he also gained an M.A. He is a Member of the Jamaican Society of Architects. Mr. Rutkowski has been with the partnership since he joined it as a Chief Engineer in 1957 and was one of the Principals in the reformation of the firm in 1962. He has had wide experience in civil and structural engineering work, including bridges, roads, drainage and multi-storey structures, as has Mr. Thomson, who joined the Partnership in 1965 and has also been engaged on harbour and marine work.
M. O'Connell joined as Resident Architect in the Cayman Islands in 1971 and became Resident Partner last year. He was previously in the Bahamas, where he was engaged on schools, government buildings and residences, and has been in charge of all the Cayman projects designed by the firm. The new Master Plan for Governor's Harbour is expected to be submitted to the local Planning Authority in the early part of February.
