AppiaGroup

Katka has been my "guardian angel" through the challenging process of building in Puerto Rico. She is ALWAYS there with a text or phone call or email. Her design has captured the best of my natural surroundings to optimize the views, breezes and landscape of my land. Katka's weekly inspections hold workers to the highest standards. She sees things that would otherwise go unnoticed by the untrained eye. Being fluent in both English and Spanish enables her to fully serve all clients She has many contacts with the most skilled workers in carpentry, steelwork, electrical, solar, masonry and tile, and is highly respected by all. Her experience with interior design helps me to imagine new possibilities. I could never have completed this project without her!

Katka is an incredible designer with a fantastic eye who has built me a beautiful home in Puerto Rico. She has proven to a truly remarkable partner in a much delayed project that had numerous "Acts of God" type challenges that would have left a less dedicated and honorable architect fleeing the scene. Hurricanes, earthquakes, supply chain interruptions, contractor staffing and performance challenges galore bedeviled our project, yet she swung away, persevering through interminable delays out of her control until completion. Her wide range of experience was very valuable in managing numerous construction problems outside the realm of architectural design. I am extremely grateful to her both for her artistic skills and her diligence in driving the project to completion. She went well above and beyond to do whatever it took to work through a plethora of challenges, and today I'm a very happy client. Without her assistance this would have been a complete disaster, yet instead I have a home that is the envy of the neighborhood. I can strongly recommend Katka and would very happily work with her again. Thank you Katka!!!!

Katka designed a wonderful house for us (see 'casa davis' in her portfolio for photos). Some background... I grew up in Ramey in the northwest corner of Puerto Rico on an old SAC bomber base, in a Capehart/Wherry era concrete house built by the Air Force. I bought the house from my parents, and worked with Katka to remake it - emphasizing what was great, while being prepared for hurricanes and droughts and the 21st century. Ramey has always been a wonderful community that reflects its mid-century tropical/military roots. We keep the front door wide open and the trade winds blow straight through. The house presence is subtly dramatic; a pleasant honest mix of the old and the new; not trying too hard, its distinctive but still fits. The front porch is welcoming and as friendly to the street as I'd hoped, people walk by and wave. The lines are simple at first - the stepping stones in front through the front door past the stairs to the verandah in the back; these match precisely the direction of the airport, and the direction of the prevailing wind. The second set of lines are the original house square to the street. They commingle in the main room, offset 17 degrees, with a pleasant complexity. The new tile and and blue steel (airport/wind) juxtaposed with the white concrete and the kitchen, the island, and the side walls (the street). Walking around a bit: The storage building is so practical. Being here while a tenant is here was no problem at all; this design function really works. The wifi never let me down, which is saying a lot in a long concrete and steel house. The solar system also works well - we've been 95% self-powered while we've been here and the panels are tucked away unobtrusively. We love the kitchen, the concrete counters, the windows, the fan, the layout, the pass through, the pantry, the island and drawers under - everything. Tea on the star deck at sunrise, and watching the clouds and the moon from there earlier this evening - maybe its just new, but I've spent more time up there than I thought I would. The master bedroom is great - to look at the stars from the tub, and to wake up in the night and feel the wind and hear the palm rustling. My mother loved this house - I took the whole family for a tour on our Saturday zoom call, walking all around with my laptop. I told her that this work has taken the things the family always loved about the house - the wind, the roof, the back garden casita, the retreats down the hallways - and amplified and improved them. We look forward to filling the house with friends and family for years to come.

Katka review Katka has been absolutely critical to the creation and success of our home remodel and addition. Her eye for creating modern design within existing original architecture has led us to have a home we love looking at everyday. She’s been able to help us create a warm modern environment that takes advantage of the surrounding natural beauty of our location. In additional to design, she has helped project manage the building process from start to finish, no small feat here in Puerto Rico. Her tenacity has proven invaluable for getting jobs done. We rest assured that with her monitoring the job, things will be done right. She has connections throughout the industry and always ensures we know the value of the work we’re paying for. She’s who we will recommend highly to anyone looking to have a large build or remodel design and managed on the west side of Puerto Rico.

Katka is a true Professional! I have known her for many Years from Prague and she has always performed at I high level. You are in Good hands and I'm sure she will exceed you expectations!

Katka Rocks!!!! I was not only impressed with her design skills , but the follow up visits,attention to detail,the whole experience. She handled every phase of our renovation. Building or renovating is stressful to any home owner no matter what. I think Katka has a wonderful way of holding your had through the project and standing up for the client with contractors and subcontractors. Katka A+++

Our development team worked with architect Katka Konecna-Rivera and her design team AppiaGroup on developing a master plan for a 86 acre property in the municipality of Moca, Puerto Rico. Our collaboration over the course of 8 years included architectural design of all project components such as the hotel with a convention center, shopping plaza, housing, and leisure. Numerous meetings with both public and private partners and the planning authorities led to a change of zoning and a planning permit. AppiaGroup was able to put our vision together taking into consideration all the needs and wants of both the public and private development Interests while respecting the local tradition and culture and incorporating it into their design. It was a very fruitful and productive collaboration, which we plan to continue in Puerto Rico in a near future.

We have been working with Katka for over a year on tropical loft modern home with a focus on outside-in space. Our home is 1300 sq ft interior plus an additional 1000 sq ft exterior. It been a fantastic experience. She has amazingly put our thoughts, ideas and vision into a reality. We are thrilled with how our new home has turned out and are so grateful we found her to help create, guide, and advise through the whole process. She is the utmost professional with a breadth of knowledge and experience. I would highly recommend her for any project large or small.

My relationship with this architect is all a person can hope for. She considers my needs, desires, requirements, budget and taste with every decision that has to be made in the development process. We meet weekly to address the current status and what has to be decided for next week's progress. She considers all my requests and suggestions and accommodates them if reasonable and possible and explains why not if I am off in right field or simply not keeping our final goal in perspective. It's a great experience.

As an owner of the "beehive residence" I have to admit, the time me and my family spent living here-over 15 years now, have been an absolute joy. We are currently in process of selling the residence due to downsizing (2 adults and a dog), but we hope the future owners will enjoy it as much as we did. We absolutely love the architecture of each space-indoor and outdoor, the details and finishes and although Ms. Konecna was still a young architect when she designed it for us, the house haven't had any technical or functional problems. My wife, being a garden designer, turned the open field into a peaceful Zen garden, incorporating design elements and advise the architect provided us over the course of 5 years after completion. We would highly recommend working with her and her team, and will be consulting our new house with her as well.