The Faena Aleph residential complex was built in the eponymous quarter - a new district of the Argentine capital, being built on the shores of La Plata Bay. Once a port was located here, but now on the site of the former docks there are commercial, cultural and residential facilities. The master plan of the area was developed in 2006 by Norman Foster's workshop, she was also responsible for the design of one of the most prestigious residential buildings. The nine-storey complex with a total area of 17,500 m2 was built using the most advanced energy-saving technologies, and its architectural design is based on the traditional residential buildings of Buenos Aires.
The authors based the project on such elements, which are obligatory for the architecture of sunny Argentina, such as terraces and loggias. In fact, the facades of the new complex are designed as a system of wide balconies and deep niches - the former can be used for sunbathing and relaxation in not too hot weather, while the latter, on the contrary, will provide residents with a saving shadow. The outer walls of the house are completely made of glass, the balconies are also transparent, thanks to which the facades seem to acquire an additional dimension, and from afar the house is perceived as a light shelf, the space between the levels of which is filled with air.
The sun protection of the loggias is provided by wooden blinds. These structures are mobile: placed at different distances from the facade, they can be "superimposed" on each other for a stronger darkening of the room, or, conversely, shifted to one side so as to maximally open the dwelling to the surrounding landscapes.
In the new house, as in any other building by Norman Foster, natural ventilation and accumulated solar energy are used to the maximum, and the utmost rationality of the interior layout is compensated by the excellent quality of finishing materials. The cost per square meter in this house is unusually high for Buenos Aires, but there are plenty of buyers willing to pay for housing of such a high level in the capital of Argentina. The developer of the quarter, Aleph, hopes that the implementation of Foster's project will set a fundamentally new level of quality for apartment buildings under construction in the city.
A. M.
