06/02/2013 - Foster + Partners has completed its first project in Latin America with the opening of the Faena Aleph Residences in Buenos Aires, Argentina – part of the reinvention of the former docks of Puerto Madero as a dynamic new urban quarter. Drawing on local architectural traditions, its apartments feature vaulted living spaces and deep, sheltered terraces that exploit the wonderful local climate and maximise views towards the city and Rio de la Plata.
The Faena District combines new construction and refurbished historic buildings, with places to live and work, alongside new civic spaces, leisure and arts venues. The nine-storey Aleph is located on Avenida Juana Manso and comprises 50 apartments, animated at ground level by a fringe of shops, cafes and restaurants, with a landscaped garden to the rear and an infinity pool at roof level.
Inspired by traditional housing in Buenos Aires, where the boundaries between inside and outside living are blurred, the design features split-level living spaces that extend into generous balconies and double-height patios. The apartments combine a warm, natural palette of wooden balustrades, bronze screens and stone-tiled bathrooms with elegant vaulted concrete ceilings. The combination of moveable sun screens and projecting balconies provides shade from both low and high angled sun, while ensuring privacy, allowing natural ventilation and drawing daylight into the apartments.
Brandon Haw, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners:
“The Aleph is a building that is very much borne of its place. From the traditional Buenos Aires house, which takes advantage of the climate to combine outdoor with indoor living, to the industrial architecture legacy of the Puerto Madero District, the Aleph creates a wonderful new living environment that is unique to the Faena Arts District.”
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