Construction has begun on a new mixed-use office tower by Foster + Partners that will catch the eye with an unusual triangular shape. The building will also integrate greenery in the form of multiple terraces and a public garden area.
Named Avenida Cordoba 120 due to its location on a prominent street in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the project's triangular form – like New York City's famous Flatiron Building, not like a pyramid – will rise to a height of 35 stories. It will be dominated by office space, but its lower floors will host a public garden and a cafe, and there will be a total of seven triple-height garden terraces situated at key points as the tower rises. The idea is that these will be used as informal meeting spaces, and make for a pleasant place to work.
"The strategic site is at the crossroads between Avenida Cordoba, and Avenida Alem, two of the biggest thoroughfares in the city, and bound by Avenida Madero to the east," says the firm. "The triangular form of the building maximizes views towards the Rio de la Plata river and towards the dense city center, while the lift core located along the southern facade enables large, flexible and spacious floorplans. Seventy percent of the ground plan is open public space in the form of a lush garden that continues below the building, which is raised above an inviting cafe nestled within the landscape. The garden offers a natural oasis for office workers and the public to relax while surrounded by greenery and for larger scale corporate events."
The tower's triangular footprint will make for an atypical interior layout that Foster + Partners says will allow for a high degree of flexibility, with a total of 20 different floorplans available. The firm also says that its stainless-steel facade and glazing are designed around a "picture frame" principle that promises to frame choice views out to the city below and help to reduce heat gain inside.
Additionally, the project is slated for LEED Gold (a green building standard), though we've no further information available on its sustainability at this early stage.
Much of Foster + Partners' recent output has included significant greenery and sustainable design, such as its Icône office, One Beverly Hills development, and Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre.
Source: Foster + Partners