Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has released the first design details for Catalinas Rio, a waterfront office building in Buenos Aires’ Catalinas Norte business district expansion that comprises retail, public greenspace, and two intertwined trapezoidal towers.
The two towers, one that rises 29 stories and another that rises 22, are connected by a series of skybridges and green terraces. The towers and bridge floors create an urban window meant to establish the active heart of the office experience. Large, landscaped decks cross both bridge roofs and are complemented by recessed balconies in the tower floors to provide views of both the waterfront and cityscape. In total, the terraces offer 10,000 sm of outdoor space.
Catalinas Rio is meant to create a new urban identity in the Catalinas Norte II master plan with the building’s public space playing the most important role in accomplishing this task. The outdoor urban square draws inspiration from the open spaces that characterize Buenos Aires’ historic fabric. The square connects to the street, waterfront, and every part of the building. It is located between the two tower forms and lobbies, where indoor retail and shared amenities on both sides are designed to form a cluster of activity.
See Also: A new performance venue completes in one of the world’s densest cities
“The building itself is conceived as a vertical campus,” said SOM Director Kim Van Holsbeke, in a release. “It is a single structure that continues the vibrancy of the urban square up to the office floors.”
Vertical fins, horizontal shades, and light shelves help bring light deep inside the building. An enhanced fresh air filtration system and access to water fountains throughout the building complement the daylighting to provide users with a healthy indoor work environment.
SOM also hopes to create a pedestrian bridge that would stretch over nearby rail lines, highways, and the Rio de la Plata to connect to the public river promenade, a nearby ferry terminal, and Puerto Madero, – a mixed-use neighborhood across from Catalinas Norte II.
Construction is slated for completion in 2022.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | May 30, 2018
Concentrated redevelopment: Apartment complex takes mixed use to the next level
An “intergenerational” mixed-use apartment complex may be a prototype for reenergizing neglected neighborhoods in America’s largest county.
Mixed-Use | May 16, 2018
Los Angeles mixed-use building uses prefabricated wood frame to reduce costs
SPF:architects designed the building.
Adaptive Reuse | Apr 26, 2018
Edison Lofts building is New Jersey’s largest non-waterfront adaptive reuse project
Minno & Wasko Architects & Planners designed the building.
High-rise Construction | Apr 17, 2018
Developers reveal plans for 1,422-foot-tall skyscraper in Chicago
The tower would be the second tallest in the city.
Mixed-Use | Apr 5, 2018
SOM unveils design for 54-story mixed-use tower in Hangzhou, China
The tower will rise 944 feet.
Mixed-Use | Apr 4, 2018
Shenzhen’s Mawan Mile master plan will include a ‘boulevard in the sky’
HASSELL won a competition to design the new mixed-use district.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 22, 2018
Multifamily building with 25,000 sf of amenities rises on the shore of the Potomac River
The building is part of the National Gateway mixed-use development at Potomac yard.
High-rise Construction | Feb 14, 2018
BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati-designed Singapore skyscraper has open-air ‘oases’ at multiple levels
The new skyscraper will include “the office of the future.”
Mixed-Use | Jan 26, 2018
Eager Park opens as health and wellness centerpiece of future mixed-use master plan
The 6-acre park was designed to showcase East Baltimore’s commitment to wellness and sustainability.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 25, 2018
Virginia Beach: A surf town with a wave problem no more
A world-class surf park will highlight Virginia Beach’s new live-work-play development.
