Description

The building is located in Almagro, a neighbourhood in Argentina’s capital city Buenos Aires that was built in the 1950s and comprises a dense mix of different kinds of buildings.

The construction is organised in two stacked blocks that respond to both the programmatic requirements as well as the existing urban fabric. The lower volume contains six units that can be used either as offices or as housing, while the top two storeys contain two townhouses that are conceived as elevated houses in the centre of the city. The building is enclosed in a veil of white metal mesh that filters views into and out of the building and offers a new view of the neighbourhood.

The project is more than just an example of innovative architecture; it proposes an alternative means of developing housing: unlike in Europe, architects in Argentina occasionally act as developers who work directly with a client or a group of future residents, with the latter assuming the role of investors. This is made possible by an instrument of trust law, the so-called Fideicomiso, a contract that allows the architect to assume the responsibility – and the risk – for realising a project by accessing the joint capital of the future residents in order to purchase the site, finance the project and realise the design project. This model became more widespread following the economic crisis of 2001. These projects are usually undertaken on plots of a standard size that are subject to planning parameters specific to the respective neighbourhood. For the architect, this simplifies both the design development and cost calculation for a specific site. The resulting apartments can cost between 20 and 30% less than apartments purchased on the open market. In addition, the residents are also able to contribute to the design of the building.

The project was initiated by the architects as a contribution to the debate on new forms of housing in the city, and the group is comprised predominantly of friends and acquaintances of the architects. Planning meetings were held every month during the planning process.

The architects researched a number of sites for the project and created initial designs for several locations. These designs were then used to recruit further members for the group and to decide on the final site. The plot was then purchased. The development process was hampered by the fact that several of the candidate sites were sold to other buyers during the group formation process, and some of the planning work and personal commitment was consequently fruitless.

The project began in 2010 and planning and construction took place from 2010 to 2012 (including six months preliminary planning).

Privately financed.

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Originally published in: Annette Becker, Laura Kienbaum, Kristien Ring, Peter Cachola Schmal, Bauen und Wohnen in Gemeinschaft / Building and Living in Communities, Birkhäuser, 2015.