Location: Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Original Project Armenia 1933: Besonías – Kruk
Expansion project Armenia 1929: Luciano Kruk
Project coordination: Arq. Belén Ferrand
Coordination construction management: Arch Belén Ferrand
Contributors: Arq. Andrés Conde Blanco, Arq. Ekaterina Boiler, Alice Salamone, Christian Studer
Edition of memory: Arq. Mariana Pique
Photos: Daniela Mac Adden
Land area: 900 m2
Surface to build: 3200 m2
Year of construction: 2013/2014/2015

The building Armenia is situated in the Palermo Soho neighborhood of Buenos Aires city. In the last decade, this neighborhood has been consolidating a process of densification by its strengthening as a pole gastronomic, cultural, commercial and tourist destination, which has been renovated and has raised the value of their lands.

The building is located in a lot on the street Armenia, street width, typical and old grove, just twenty meters of a green square of the same name.

The client -a group of investors - he proposed, taking advantage of the potential of the area, a building of residential housing which includes a socket commercial on the ground floor. This was supposed to be composed of a varied quality of housing units. Underlined the intention of the greater part of the departments were from a single environment, with the intention of being sent to the temporary rent to tourists; while the units are more spacious (one -, two -, and three-bedroom) would bring to the sale for permanent residence. It is said that he wished to include the spaces of common use, green areas, solarium and the presence of water. In relation to the materiality, the customers were already familiar with the trajectory of the study with respect to the aesthetics of his works and his experience linked to the employment of the concrete, which they considered suitable, not only for aesthetic reasons but also maintenance, virtually zero.

The synthesis of the project consisted in the organization of the building in two compact blocks that are connected by a plaza dry, the heart of the project. The height of the blocks was determined by the maximum height allowed by zoning: ground floor plus four floors. The floors of the block of the front is removed, step-by-step according to the requirements of the code. The subsequent block performs the same gesture in order to get a better sunlight, air, and views, retranqueándose on the upper floors generating openness towards this central courtyard.

The intention was that this space was not a confined space. The ground floor free connect –passing under the blocks are built - in the space of the street, with the central courtyard and the open space later. The front is available to commercial premises in double height, which, taken out of the line of the facade, expand the sector of sidewalk. Intersticialmente the premises are located, access to, a sector which does not present a level of closure to seal the entrance of outside air to the rest of the set, delimited by only a fence. The outdoor air passes through the whole plant to soften the transition between the public space and the private space.

In relation to the organization in the plant, both blocks are arranged on a grid orthogonal. This grid is structured bilaterally on either side of a shaft that passes through longitudinally lot of silhouette trapezoidal. Each block has its own core of the circulatory system, both arranged linearly along this axis.

In conjunction to the silhouette of the lot, the diversity of types of units -made explicit in the customer's order - and the intention of achieving housing well sunny, airy, and with a nice view, accounted for the biggest challenge of the project.

In relation to the façade, we designed a system of brise soleil -composed by walls of concrete vertical and horizontal - as an artifact of solar control and to protect the units in the views from the street.

In addition to the central courtyard of the basement-which was projected afforestation natural - the resort has, in the second level, and balconeando to this court, a sun terrace and a water mirror of common use.

The plaza dry the ground floor presents espacios semicubiertos able to be used as a ranger cars while the basement –which can be accessed by means of a mounted auto - provides garage and bauleras private.

In a stage of work has already advanced the buyer acquires the lot frentista contiguous to be incorporated into the project. This forced the adaptation of the original project. Incorporated in new local business to the street. Housing units –which amounted to thirty-four - were integrated into the existing schema, using the core circulation of the original project. The hood of the facade was modified, incorporating its functions to establish itself as an integrative element of the image of the new building.

Concrete is present in the entire envelope of the building, as well as in common areas, cores, circulation funds and slabs; and the floors, both interior and exterior, were formed in cement. In contrast, for the interior walls of the housing units was made of brick masonry, revoked, and painted white. The woodwork of the houses were materialized in anodized aluminum, color dark bronze; while for the front and interior structure that weapon mezzanines of the business premises and for the rest of the elements of blacksmithing was chosen profiles of black steel.