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
High-rise Construction | Jul 26, 2023
A 33-story Singapore tower aims to reimagine work with restorative, outdoor spaces
Architecture firm NBBJ has unveiled design details for Keppel South Central, a commercial tower in Singapore. The project, which is slated for completion in late 2024, will transform the original Keppel Towers into a 33-story, energy-efficient building that aims to reimagine work by providing restorative spaces and connections to the outdoors.
Designers | Jul 20, 2023
Mary Cook Associates brews up coffeehouse-inspired apartment community
The MCA design team worked closely with the developer and design architect to create an interior concept inspired by Decatur, Ga.’s, tree-lined streets, boutique retail, and vibrant restaurant and coffee shop scene.
Mass Timber | Jul 11, 2023
5 solutions to acoustic issues in mass timber buildings
For all its advantages, mass timber also has a less-heralded quality: its acoustic challenges. Exposed wood ceilings and floors have led to issues with excessive noise. Mass timber experts offer practical solutions to the top five acoustic issues in mass timber buildings.
Mixed-Use | Jun 29, 2023
Massive work-live-play development opens in LA's new Cumulus District
VOX at Cumulus, a 14-acre work-live-play development in Los Angeles, offers 910 housing units and 100,000 sf of retail space anchored by a Whole Foods outlet. VOX, one of the largest mixed-use communities to open in the Los Angeles area, features apartments and townhomes with more than one dozen floorplans.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Mixed-Use | Jun 12, 2023
Goettsch Partners completes its largest China project to date: a mixed-used, five-tower complex
Chicago-based global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) recently announced the completion of its largest project in China to date: the China Resources Qianhai Center, a mixed-use complex in the Qianhai district of Shenzhen. Developed by CR Land, the project includes five towers totaling almost 472,000 square meters (4.6 million sf).
Architects | Jun 6, 2023
Taking storytelling to a new level in building design, with Gensler's Bob Weis and Andy Cohen
Bob Weis, formerly the head of Disney Imagineering, was recently hired by Gensler as its Global Immersive Experience Design Leader. He joins the firm's co-CEO Andy Cohen to discuss how Gensler will focus on storytelling to connect people to its projects.
Mixed-Use | Jun 6, 2023
Public-private partnerships crucial to central business district revitalization
Central Business Districts are under pressure to keep themselves relevant as they face competition from new, vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods emerging across the world’s largest cities.
Urban Planning | Jun 2, 2023
Designing a pedestrian-focused city in downtown Phoenix
What makes a city walkable? Shepley Bulfinch's Omar Bailey, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, believes pedestrian focused cities benefit most when they're not only easy to navigate, but also create spaces where people can live, work, and play.
Mixed-Use | Jun 1, 2023
The Moore Building, a 16-story office and retail development, opens in Nashville’s Music Row district
Named after Elvis Presley’s onetime guitarist, The Moore Building, a 16-story office building with ground-floor retail space, has opened in Nashville’s Music Row district. Developed by Portman and Creed Investment Company and designed by Gresham Smith, The Moore Building offers 236,000 sf of office space and 8,500 sf of ground-floor retail.
