Having as a starting pointthe plot located on the corner of Mercedes and Asunción streets in the heart of Villa Devoto neighbourhood, the objectives set for this project were to erect a building whichwould stand out from the neighbourhood structurethanks to both its materiality and its proposal, and that this building would house the head office of MMCVStudio, major architect developers in the area.
The building typology –widely spread in the neighbourhood– consistingof houses set back from the streetwas particularly taken into consideration with the idea of redefining it by widening the sidewalks and resorting to functional elements such as flowerbeds that sporadically mark the official boundaries. The sidewalk’s generous space cuts the continuity at the pedestrian level and offers a gradewhich invites to better appreciate the construction. The building, which is organized in three pure volumes that provide the corner with both shape and character, revealsitself as a sculptural object.
The façade is resolved by giving each one of those blocksits own directionality as the three volumes define preciseprograms in accordance with the architectural brief: the ground floor contains the business premises; the duplex apartmentsaredestined for offices; and, lastly, the space that houses the offices of the architecture studio itself.
The business premises, intended for “Alicia” restaurant, are located on the ground floor and are permeable on both sides. Having its entrance opening out onto Asunción street, this restaurant is enfolded by the exterior spaces thanks to the release of the corner which resulted in the whole sidewalk taking the establishment over as it connects with the expansion in the rear, on Mercedes street. The limit of this backyard and the sidewalk is indicated by a lettered gate whose aim is to act as a security door and as a plastic element: “Mercedes y Asunción,” the names of the two streets converging onto this corner, can be read on the gate.
The building entrance (leading to both the studio and the multi-purpose residential/office block) lies on Mercedes street. The office volume forms a sort of box, closed on its sides, that extends in a single direction and opens onto the front. It is made up of four duplex apartments which can be accessed from the back on the second and third levels. The units, all of which have a small kitchenette, are meant to be used as offices but they also offer, if need be, flexibility for housing too.
The volume that shapes up the studio offices boasts views on Devoto park on both sides. The main entrance to the studio and the meeting room are located on the second level, the administration and accounting departments are on the third level and the architecture studio itself is in the lower part, which occupies the whole surface of the volume, in triple height. The height variations in the different spaces match in a similar way. They can be accessed through a simple height that propagates in two or three levels, as the case may be, and evidence their direction by expressing themselves onto the façades on both streets: the studio’s triple height overlooks Asunción street while the meeting room’s double height gives onto Mercedes street.
A core of services, including toilets and a kitchenette, is repeated in each one of the three plans in an attempt to achieving flexibility by keeping open the possibility of a future division.
With the aspirationof developing and consolidating a technique, a number of design solutions typical to the studio have been applied on this project, such as the proportion in the thickness of slabs or partition walls, the plate lines, the way of solving the concrete boards’ latching and the ironwork details – all of them, characteristic features shared by the rest of the projects carried out by the studio. When using concrete, slabs always end with a sharp edge. In this particular building, their thickness reaches 0,20 m and the height between slabs is 2,40 m whereas in other projects performed by the studio (generally residential buildings) slabs are 0,40 m thick and the distance between slabs gets to 2,60 m.
Concrete is the material which defines best the aesthetics of the building. The use of sharp edges on slabs makes it easier to work with clippable finishing profiles when attaching masonry panels to slabs, differentiating certain parts of the project.
