The new Buenos Aires City Hall, located in the Argentinian capital's Parque Patricios neighbourhood, is the latest project to be unveiled by Foster + Partners in South America. Combining a cleverly functional interior with an environmentally sensitive approach, the design aims to provide the perfect home for the Mayor's office, as well as the 1,500 employees working there, while making a positive contribution to the surrounding landscape and the wider area's ongoing redevelopment.
The project presented a special challenge: it was originally commissioned as the headquarters of Banco Ciudad, the municipal Buenos Aires bank. When the end-user - and consequently the brief - changed however, the scheme was easily adapted, thanks to the building's 'inherently flexible design'. The workspaces span four storeys, featuring staggered terraces and a visible open plan desk area that promotes communication and interaction between employees. The building's full height glazing not only makes the most of natural light, but also takes advantage of its picturesque parkside location. The latter is mirrored in the interior design through the presence of leafy landscaped courtyards and elegant sheltered walkways dotted across the layout.
The exterior is defined by the building's distinctive flowing roof canopy, supported by giant pillars. A deep overhang provides shelter for the entrance plaza and protects the glass facades from the elements. Internally, the temperature is regulated with the help of the roof's concrete soffits and a chilled beam system, maintaining a cool environment even in high summer. Louvres fitted to the western and eastern façades lending a helping hand.
The City Hall building covers an entire block within a previously industrialised area, south of the city centre. While designed as a workspace, the structure was also meant to become an active part of the area's urban fabric. Apart from the office areas, it includes a cafe and a 300-seat wood-panelled auditorium, planned to house public events that will help stimulate relationships with the local community.
The large building houses the Mayor's offices as well as desk space and facilities for 1,500 employees
The terraced office floors offer an innovative, super-flexible internal arrangement
The bright, airy and generous structure was also designed to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient
Offering landscaped courtyards and generous views out towards the park, the new building echoes its leafy surroundings
The 'flowing roof canopy', supported by pilars, defines this design
-
A guide to the best fashion stores Copenhagen has to offerWallpaper* picks the must-visit fashion stores in Copenhagen – from big-name boutiques and historic department stores to local labels and the best in second-hand, each presenting a fresh take on Danish design
-
Indian studio Compartment S4 celebrates architectural collaborationCompartment S4, the Indian architecture studio out of Ahmedabad and Mumbai, is true to its collective nature
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
-
Transamerica Pyramid: a San Francisco icon, remasteredThe Transamerica Pyramid, a landmark in the San Francisco cityscape, has been redesigned to 21st-century standards by Foster + Partners
-
Inside Apple’s first flagship store in MalaysiaApple opens its first store in Malaysia, designed by Foster + Partners, and offers the brand’s distinct interior style adapted to a warmer climate
-
An Argentinian retreat in the forest allows nature and architecture to flowA wooded Argentinian retreat, Forest House by Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura, blends indoors and outdoors with architectural flair
-
Step inside a forgotten brutalist necropolis in Buenos Aires'Chacarita Moderna: The Brutalist Necropolis of Buenos Aires' is a new book by Léa Namer; an ode to 20th-century architecture, concrete and one of Argentina's first female architects, Ítala Fulvia Villa
-
'Cities are not static': the Norman Foster Institute launchesThe Norman Foster Institute launches in Madrid, celebrating cities as our 'greatest invention', and working to help fix them
-
Apple store at Battersea Power Station prioritises sustainability and ‘universal design’We get a first peek inside Foster + Partner’s Apple store at Battersea Power Station in London, a space pioneering sustainability and ‘universal design’ principles
-
Discover Battersea Roof Gardens, Battersea Power Station’s latest residential developmentBattersea Roof Gardens opens at Battersea Power Station, offering additions such as Sky Lounge and vast gym
-
Essential Homes Research Project launches first shelter for displaced communitiesThe Norman Foster Foundation and Swiss building materials giant Holcim launch the Essential Homes Research Project’s first design – a concrete cabin shelter. Nick Compton met with Norman Foster to find out more
