Puerto Madero Reconversión

• Creation of the Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero S.A.
• National Ideas Contest and Master Plan
• 1st Stage: West Sector
• 2nd Stage: East Sector

Creation of the Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero S.A.

On November 15th, 1989, the Ministry of Public Works and Services, the Ministry of Interior -both on behalf of the National Executive Power- and the City Hall of Buenos Aires City, have suscribed an agreement by which they committed to constitute, aiming to encourage the urbanization of Puerto Madero area, an anonym society named "Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero S.A.", where both parties -the National Government and the City of Buenos Aires- are equal shareholders.

The National Government transferred the 170 hectares of Puerto Madero -over which had jurisdiction the General Port Administration, the Ferrocarriles Argentinos company and the National Joint of Grains, among others- and the Government of the City of Buenos Aires provided the corresponding norms of urban development.

National Ideas Contest and Master Plan

Once the Corporación was created as a company in charge of the urbanization, then it was time to design a master plan that acted as a frame for the area development, that defined a structure of spaces, volumes, circulation and leisure.

Considering that the Architects Central Society was a prestigious institution and quite adequate to take part in the project, in June 1991, the Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero S.A. suscribed an agreement with this Society and the City Hall of Buenos Aires, calling for a National Constest of Ideas for Puerto Madero. Its conditions established:

· The turnaround of the area, overcoming its deteriorated situation.
· Reordering that contributed to regain its urban character in order to balance the deficits of the central area, preserving its evoking power.
· To promote the settling of third sector activities -public and private offices, commercial and cultural services- along with residential areas.
· To regain the link to the river, by adding green areas for leisure.

This call had an overwhelming response: 96 architect studies from all over the country presented their projects. In February 1992, a jury gave prizes to three teams. As the conditions established, three members of each group came to take part of a new team to work on the definition of spaces and volumetry.

Its members were architects Juan Manuel Borthagaray, Cristian Carnicer, Pablo Doval, Enrique Garcia Espil, Mariana Leidemann, Carlos Marre, Rómulo Pérez, Antonio Tufaro and Eugenio Xaus, who completed the project by October 1992.

Master Plan

The Master Plan served to give the general linings and basic structure, that would rule the different developments within the area.

The plan structure presented a narrow building line on the edges of the docks, and including the preservation of the brick docks that were along the West Sector.

In the East Sector, the area that limited with the edges of the docks presented few-stories buildings, with a "mix" of different uses, to make more attractive the public parks. A second line behind this was projected at greater height. Two sets of towers ended on the central, transversal boulevards, in their projection to the Waterfront, reminding the "Cité de Negocios" (Business City) projected in 1938 by Le Corbusier.

In compensation of the building places, the Plan also took into consideration the construction of two big parks, east of docks 2 and 3, creating a big area of leisure that would link to the South Waterfront, revitalizing all this coast line.

The intention of promoting the recovery of the public space for the city was also shown by the wide pedestrian areas designed on both sides of the docks, and by the landscaped boulevards and several squares planned for the area.

The project had as a basic lining to integrate the new buildings without losing the port character the area had to maintain. These were the brick docks of the West Sector, as well as the old Molinos' warehouse, "El Porteño", the former silo of the National Joint of Grains and the old administrative site of Molinos Río de la Plata, these last two both in the East Sector, having a total of 19 buildings what refers to the importance of this enterprise and the dimensions of the project carried out.

Projections

Area distribution

Area distribution by usage