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“Steel Giants”: 5 iconic buildings in Buenos Aires built based on the alloy that transformed construction since the 20th century - Infobae
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“Gigantes de acero”: 5 edificios icónicos de Buenos Aires construidos en base a la aleación que desde el siglo XX transformó la construcción
Mayormente destinados a oficinas, organismos públicos y espacios culturales, sobresalen en el paisaje urbano. Ubicación e importancia del material en el fortalecimiento de sus estructuras
www.infobae.com
February 12, 2024
Mostly intended for offices, public organizations and cultural spaces, they stand out in the urban landscape. Location and importance of the material in the strengthening of its structures
By José Luis Cieri
The Teniente General Castiñeiras Building, also known as the SOMISA Building, stands out as an icon of modern architecture in Buenos Aires. Built mostly of steel for the SOMISA steel company, it currently houses the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Nation. Its location is on Avenida Presidente Julio A. Roca at 700
Some of the most notable structures in the city of Buenos Aires are erected from imposing steel profiles. This steel product, an alloy of iron and carbon, not only supports buildings, but also raised the paradigm in the construction sector and redefined how the world is built today.
Characterized as “noble and robust”, steel experienced a transformative role. Its implementation in mega-projects made it possible to build imposing skyscrapers and challenge heights with the necessary resistance to support buildings of hundreds of floors. In addition to its structural function, its visual majesty made it a standard for large-scale structures and consolidated it as a protagonist of industrialized construction.
In CABA, five iconic works were structured based on this key material. However, it was the United States that set the course for the use of steel with the iconic Chrysler Building: an Art Deco-style skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York. With 77 floors and 319 meters high, it held the title of the tallest building in the world for eleven months, until it was surpassed by the iconic Empire State Building in Chicago in 1931.
Finishing of the Chrysler Building in New York whose structure was made of steel (Bloomberg)
Argentina was no exception in that sense. Since 1900, figurative roofs with steel and masonry structures brought from the United States, from cities like New York and Chicago, began to arrive. Little by little, some buildings were given shape that today are a unique architectural attraction for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, although sometimes they go unnoticed.
“Steel is a noble and robust resource that nourishes several emblematic buildings,” explained Juan Ignacio Virga , engineer at Gerdau, a steel company specialized in the production of long steel.
However, not just any steel can support large structures.
As Virga explained, “structural profiles are the constructive response to most large megatowers, which then combine a variety of systems and materials for enclosures and finishes. But without a doubt the steel profile represents the soul of the work.”
In the mid-20th century perhaps it was not yet seen this way, but today steel also represents an opportunity for sustainable renewal in the construction sector and is even implemented in domestic constructions. From the Argentine Chamber of Steel (CAA) they explained that this system is developed in high resistance steel, which, through industrialization and use of technology, optimizes processes, reducing costs and achieving execution times up to 40% lower than the traditional construction.
The steel skeleton to build the Central Post Office. Today the Néstor Kirchner Cultural Center, on Sarmiento Street, between Corrientes and Leandro N. Alem avenues
Virga explained: “The possibility of infinite recycling that steel has and the alternative that the system provides, allows resources to be reused and transformed to different needs.”
“It is common for us to see old warehouses with metal roofs that change their function, are recycled, and come back to life as spaces for other uses. “Steel is the best example of the circular economy,” added the expert.
The most emblematic of the Buenos Aires landscape
That style of metal production gave shape to some of the most solemn buildings in CABA. One of them is the Kirchner Cultural Center (former Correo Central) . It was designed by the French architect Norbert Auguste Maillart, in 1888, and President Miguel Juárez Celman approved the project for its construction.
The Néstor Kirchner Cultural Center is close to Luna Park and Puerto Madero
With many variations from its original projection, the emblematic building was inaugurated in 1928.
The Barolo Palace, designed by the Italian Mario Palanti and inaugurated in 1923 ( it recently turned 100 years old ), used 650,000 kilos of steel for its construction, complemented by reinforced concrete, bricks and cement. It was once the tallest building in the city, until it was displaced from first place when the Kavanagh was built. The colossal infrastructure of the Barolo was inspired by the work of Dante Alighieri, it has 22 floors and its amazing tower still dazzles tourists.
The Barolo building and its iconic dome. A sky bar also operates a few steps from the property's auction.
Mariana Stange, from Mariana Stange Real Estate, said: “Working in Barolo is something emblematic, like in Comega or Safico for offices, or Kavanagh in the residential area. The simple act of saying I'm at Barolo is like presenting a business card. The offices there are small, between 10 and 15 m2, like 3x4 rooms, meters. The bathrooms are shared and there are very few owners. You earn more by recommendation than by finding a published advertisement for Barolo; There is a whole mystique to the place. “It’s lovely, and the rents aren’t too high compared to a standard benchmark office.”
This is what the offices are like in Barolo, which has already celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023 (Photo: Gustavo Gavotti)
There prices range between USD 5 and USD 10 per m2, they are ideal today to receive clients because the offices are unique and comfortable.
Another iconic work of Argentine modernism from the late 19th century is the Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes , which inside contains the first steel mass of Buenos Aires healthcare, a symbol of the prosperity of the time. It is one of the largest iron structures that was built in the 19th century outside of Europe and it took 7 years to build the skeleton, from 1887 to 1894.
With an eclectic style, the Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes is on Avenida Córdoba at 1900
On the corner of Diagonal Julio A. Roca and Belgrano Avenue, the SOMISA Building appears . Its original name was “Lieutenant General Pedro Castiñeiras”, in homage to the president of the company in 1966, when the project was put out to tender and its construction began.
The Somisa building became the first building made entirely of steel in Argentina and the first in the world assembled by welding.
The monumental work retains a special distinction: not only is it strictly made of steel, it is the first in the world to have been assembled entirely with welding.
The Bouchard Tower also stands out in Puerto Madero . Its design is recognizable from a distance due to its pyramidal top that culminates with nothing more and nothing less than 115 meters high.
The great Bouchard Tower: the tallest of those that appear in the image. It faces Plaza Roma and has a pyramidal top.
The work was inaugurated in 1994, and currently houses the headquarters of Aerolíneas Argentinas, the Embassy of Japan and offices of the World Bank.
“It has unique views, quality and is close to everything. “It is a premium tower that is rented at a rate of USD 24/USD 26 per m2,” Stange concluded.
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