Banco Ciudad Headqarters
This emblematic corner of Buenos Aires was originally one of the great stores on Florida Street at the beginning of the 20th century: “A la Ciudad de México”; A building of great constructive nobility that allowed its refunctionalization into a bank headquarters in 1966 by incorporating a glass brick box inside, in the manner of a ship in a bottle. Thus, the old solid image coexisted with a new bright and permeable image, transforming the store into a Bank. This intervention led to its incorporation as Architectural Heritage of the City.
In 2016, a functional renovation of the lower floors was carried out to receive new forms of necessary banking organization (functionally and constructively), 50 years later.
Today, we finished the renovation of the upper floors due to functional requirements and construction improvements. At this point, it was necessary to find a measured language in terms of architecture, fresh but limited, that gives unity to the whole and signifies the presence of an updated institution.
Corner respect
- The urban force of the corner, as an entrance that organizes the circulations, the views and the interior and exterior architecture. From there, a diagonal relationship between the floors is generated between the corner and the nucleus of vertical circulations at the opposite angle. Respect for the modular structure of the building
- The impeccably engineered metallic structures modulate the space and act as a vertical seam between all levels, including the ground floor and the first level. Respect for the degree of intervention The new intervention faces the difficulty of giving exterior and interior unity to the three interventions, linking the different languages to form the crown of the building. The structural modulation provides the seam of the different situations. Respect over the years Degree to which today's architecture continues that of 1966 and is supported by the old neoclassical architecture. In the upper part, the fronts of stepped terraces generated by the retreats have been resolved through a treatment of slightly separated glass plate railings. This resolution architecturally unites the upper levels to form a contemporary crown for the building, resulting in an image of great identity that differs from the traditional courtain wall facades. Inside, all the levels have been resolved based on two premises: Flexibility: this principle continues to be maintained and emphasized, which allows, as it has up to now, to adapt to the different situations that the institution requires to receive functional changes. Natural light: it has been tried that each level has a contact with views towards the outside and allows light to reach the interior of the plant.
