Catalinas Tower

The competition brief for the Catalinas Tower stated design proposals should look to achieve an efficient and flexible floor plan for Grade-A office (allowing subdivision into 2, 3 or 4 rental units per floor, totaling approximately 550 functional units), take full advantage of the construction potential of the lot, accentuate the visual riches of the surrounding area and relate the building with it, and create an iconic, good energy efficient building in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The construction potential of the plot, limited by the maximum height of the building, naturally shaped a rectangular layout - in this case, a square set on the borders of the setbacks. This fact led us to decide to: - set the alignment of the building with Madero Avenue, as it would clear a better part of the southern façade from an eventual neighbor; - locate the main vehicle entrance on Madero, being it heavy traffic avenue; - locate the main pedestrian entry through a public plaza accessible from Cordoba and Leandro Além, as they feature an intense traffic of passers-by; - create on the ground floor of the building spaces to house complementary activities - for instance, a bank branch, restaurant, coffee shop, or bookstore – so that the wide entry lobby, besides connecting all flows within the building would also become a living space, to be enjoyed by a greater audience - adopt an rectangular floor plan, with the shadowed area taken up by the “core” – vertical circulations, shafts and hydraulic installs –, freeing up the whole peripheral are to take advantage of natural lighting and ventilation. Following wind and sun exposure studies, two main elements were incorporated to the façades – horizontal sun breakers and four types of casing panels, distributed unevenly on the four faces, according to the various incidences of solar radiation: high energy performance and more reflexive glass, lower energy performance and more transparent glass, opaque panels and controlled-ventilation aluminum panels. The aluminum horizontal sun breakers protect the façades from direct sun exposure, while preserving the vistas and organizing the façades by setting four strips on each floor – corresponding to the ceiling void, the window sill, the window and the top pane. In this setting, the new Torre Catalinas stands out with its nearly woven façade – to become itself the identity of the high-rise -, gaining even more strength as in contrast with the solid, anonymous aspect of its neighbors.