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The Buenos Aires Flatiron: What the “triangle” shaped buildings are like and where to find them in Buenos Aires - La Nacion Propiedades
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Propiedades: estos son los únicos 10 edificios porteños que tienen forma de “triángulo”
Este tipo de construcciones son realizadas en manzanas atípicas de la ciudad y están inspirados en el icónico Flatiron de Manhattan, Nueva York
www.lanacion.com.ar
February 12, 2024
These types of buildings are built on atypical blocks of the city and are inspired by the iconic Flatiron in Manhattan, New York.
The Manhattan Flatiron was built in 1902 and is considered the pioneer of this type of construction.
In atypical corners of the city of Buenos Aires , unconventional constructions are observed that attract attention because they give a sensation of a triangle shape to the front , and from the side they appear to be flat . This type of building is known as Flatiron or Fuller, in reference to the iconic and pioneering Flatiron Building , located in the heart of Manhattan, New York.
The New York building was built in 1902 and designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Dinkelberg, while its distinctive triangular shape is the result of its location at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street. Imposing, with a height of almost 87 meters, 22 floors and an area of 23,700 m², it was home to celebrities such as Demi Moore , Sting, Hugh Jackman and Jon Bon Jovi, and is also said to have been a site rented by the mafia in the 1930s.
"In honor of that architectural jewel , many architecture lovers of Buenos Aires 'renamed' these smaller, humble buildings, but with the same characteristic of being built in triangular blocks and on this side of the hemisphere, as Flatiron," explains Daniel Bryn, creator of Monitor Inmobiliario Invertire.
Manhattan Flatiron
The advantages of a Flatiron style design
In Buenos Aires, the urbanization that joined private villas to the city gave rise to atypical blocks , many of them triangular in shape. “These buildings are located in those triangular blocks that were generated as the streets were laid out while the city grew,” adds Bryn.Regarding the rooms located at the vertex of the triangle that is formed in the building, which tend to be the narrowest of the units, the “narrowest corner” of the triangle on which the property was built, Bryn observes that in the In most cases the living room is located there and they tend to be units with larger dimensions than usual . But also, in other cases, covered balconies are installed. “Although in these environments there is a view of two facades , it is a challenge for interior decoration to find furniture and internal layouts that can be located in that layout,” warns the specialist.
The particularity of these atypical buildings is that they are sunnier and have better views than those with traditional designs . Since, by having three defined faces, "it can have better use of light and most environments usually have good lighting at some time of the day." Additionally, Bryn says they have wider, more expansive, and more contemplative views of the surroundings.
“Having the Flatiron format makes it different from other buildings because it can have more windows facing the outside,” adds German Gómez Picasso, founder of Reporte Inmobiliario.
Although they are atypical typologies , the attraction lies in the design and the open view . “Not all investors are prepared to buy spaces with shapes that are not rectangular, while others are attracted to what is unconventional, such as the corner living room integrated with the kitchen, forming a triangular space with excellent views and light.” explains Pablo Kaminsky, Broker at Century 21 Premier Real Estate.
“These characteristics make an apartment in these buildings have a greater value than the common buildings where the views are to a single façade,” says Bryn. The good views of the apartments tend to be more coveted by buyers when choosing a unit, the price of having the clouds closer is expensive. Regarding their sales values, it is estimated that the same apartment in a building increases between 1.5% and 2% as you go up the floor, due to the increase in luminosity and the decrease in noise , explains Martín. Pinus, director of Martin Pinus Real Estate and Investments.
“When one faces the appraisal of a product like this, one has the challenge of thinking about what is the maximum value that today someone can give to its attributes. We must take into account the value of the view, which is not at risk of changing in the future, the value of light, the maintenance of the property, the presence of balconies - which despite the fact that they are uncovered meters, weigh almost parity of a covered meter, the condition of the building and the presence of amenities, also with a privileged view ,” acknowledges Soledad Balayan, owner of Maure real estate. In turn, she adds that all these criteria are based on the area, which already puts a floor in the price. However, she concludes that "you can be very technical in the appraisal but in the end what counts is who is willing to pay that price, who sees themselves in those spaces and can value them according to the appraisal carried out."
The Flatiron buildings in the Buenos Aires neighborhoods
In the city of Buenos Aires, this type of buildings are mostly located in northern neighborhoods, such as: Belgrano, Villa Urquiza, Nuñez, Coghlan and Colegiales . According to Bryn, in these areas there are many blocks with this geometry and the buildings are located on avenues, which allows them to be taller than usual on a common street. Although, in downtown Buenos Aires you can also see some of these constructions.Those who stand out on the Buenos Aires scene are:
1) SOMISA Building, in the Center
On the corner of Diagonal Julio A. Roca and Belgrano Avenue , the SOMISA Building is located . The 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.
Characteristic building of the downtown Buenos Aires scene
2) Kavanagh Building, in Retiro
The Kavanagh building , located in the heart of Retiro , is an icon of Argentine architecture, it also has this typology and was built on a triangular plot of land.
The Kavanagh, a heritage building
3) Donna Gioia, in Caballito
On the corner of Pedro Goyena and La Plata avenues , in the Caballito neighborhood , a new development highlighted by this style of facade is under construction. Scheduled to be delivered in 2026, it is the eighth link in the Donna series by developer Azcuy that is building in Caballito. The vertex of the triangle will be curved floor-to-ceiling windows where the living rooms will be located with views of both avenues. Although the block in which it is located has a traditional rectangular format, the developer decided to enhance the corner and the environments with the triangular design.
The new Donna Gioia development in Caballito
4) The Colegiales Flatiron
On the corner of Elcano and Los Incas avenues , there is this construction that fits into the sharpest vertex of the triangle, in the Colegiales neighborhood in a block that allows not only to have an open view but also to avoid constructions in its surroundings.
In Elcano and Avenida de los Incas
5) Raggio Palace, in Almagro
This emblematic building is located in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Almagro , on the corner of Rivadavia and Hipólito Yrigoyen avenues , a few meters from the intersection of the first and La Plata avenue. It was built in 1924, and consists of seven floors and a dome.
In Almagro, on Rivadavia and Hipólito Irigioyen avenues, a few meters from La Plata avenue
6) Forest Avenue and Los Incas, in Belgrano
In the Belgrano neighborhood , at the intersection of Av. Forest and Av. de los Incas is this 14-story Flatiron-style building, on a triangular lot surrounded by low houses.
Its thin and long design impresses
7) Alberdi and Formosa Avenue, in Caballito
This construction with Art Deco touches appears in Caballito , at the intersection of Juan B. Alberdi Avenue and Formosa Street.
A neighborhood Flatiron
8) Ricci Flats, in Coghlan
The Ricci Flats project is located in Coghlan, on Balbín and Miller avenues, and is characterized by being a building with a design that refers to the Flatiron in Manhattan .
A new Coghlan projectPablo Kaminsky
9) The ghost tower, in La Boca
The property is located in an atypical block of La Boca and was built in 1915, a time of prosperity in the port area. The building located on the triple corner formed by Wenceslado Villafañe, Benito Pérez Galdós and Almirante Brown was one of the avant-garde constructions that were established in La Boca at a time of strength and economic wealth in the port area.
The corner of Wenceslao Villafañe and Brown in La Boca
10) Bliss Buenos Aires, in the northern area
Already crossing General Paz and leaving CABA, a new project with a Flatiron style finish is located at Uruguay and Panamericana Ramal Tigre . “The developers bought this land from the Pérez Companc Group in 2020 and set themselves the challenge of building with an avant-garde concept, a city of the future ,” says Iván de Achaval, president of Achaval Cornejo, masterbroker of the project.60% of the land is dedicated to green spaces, with native vegetation, common spaces and a central lagoon of almost 10,000 m², around which buildings of different heights and typologies have been carefully designed . The main one is the Marina building, which has a combination of rectangular and triangular format at one end. It is part of the first stage of the project and is already underway.
Bliss is a project of several buildings with different typologies and heights
Marina are two identical buildings that become triangular at their ends
The model with the complete building project
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