London / Buenos Aires / Caracas
ALL
SELECTED
ARCHITECTURE
URBAN
ART
PUBLICATIONS
ACADEMIC
ABOUT
London / Buenos Aires / Caracas
ALL
SELECTED
ARCHITECTURE
URBAN
ART
PUBLICATIONS
ACADEMIC
ABOUT
City Landmark Renovation / Corporate Headquarters
Private Competition — First Prize
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2018
Mercado del Plata Offices proposes the transformation of a landmark building in one of the most iconic sites of Buenos Aires, next to the Obelisk.
The project reimagines the existing structure as a contemporary office landmark: preserving its modular logic while restructuring the core as a central piece. This operation frees the perimeter, activates the ground floor and strengthens the building’s relationship with public transport, urban flows and civic life.
Conceived as an urban machine, the new corporate headquarters for Banco Hipotecario works as a metropolitan catalyst. It supports not only its internal population, but also the large number of people moving through the site every day, connecting directly with the Metrobus, commuter terminals and underground transport system.
The basements are transformed into an active urban commercial centre, taking advantage of existing vehicular and pedestrian connections. Retail, services and public programmes are spatially and functionally connected to the ground floor, creating a porous system where public and private circulation remain clearly organised.
At the top, a café terrace opens the building to the city, framing one of Buenos Aires’ most recognisable views and creating a new postcard moment for the public.
Rather than treating the renovation as a closed corporate operation, the proposal restores the building’s urban value: a permeable landmark where offices, commerce, transport and public life become part of the same metropolitan condition.
Client: Banco Hipotecario
Program: Bank offices, commercial areas, co-working spaces and café terrace
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Design: Rodrigo Grassi, Karla Montauti and Leandro Crook as Associate Architects at Aisenson
Additional support: Alejandro Goldemberg and Gabriel Ramírez
Façade advisor: Magdalena Osternol
Engineers: LyP Ingeniería and Adrián L.
Team assistance: I-Lan Huang and Juan Ignacio Bereilh
Renders: Verónica Mariano and Pablo Waku