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Set to invigorate and beautify a previously unmanaged patch of Argentinean land, the latest conception by Productora - ‘The Thermal Park’ - looks set to go ahead after receiving recent awards backing. Designed as an entrant to an Open National Competition instigated by the College of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires, what especially marks this particular candidate is its ability to fully incorporate the landscape, whilst enhancing rather than marring the immediate surroundings.
The complex fully utilises, adapting slightly, a number of reliable elements from classical landscaping, such as: the retention of symmetrical balance for its gardens; the incorporation of a moderate, artificial mountain; and a labyrinth of walkways and canals, providing an abundance of traversable routes, by land or water. The Mexican architects elected for these ‘iconographic resources’ due to their proven track record in the histories of garden and park design.
In this small section of Dolores - a province of Buenos Aires - the impetus was on creating a project that would encourage and accommodate both indoor and outdoor activities. An excellent example of this is found in the proposed centralised aquatic park.
This contemporary fusion of new build with existing scenery, will offer users several interlinking routes down which to exercise; running, cycling, canoeing and swimming will all be feasible as ways of exploring the outdoor spaces. Two adjacent swimming pools, silently watched over by rows of sun loungers, will provide for those hoping for a quick dip, whilst a nearby lake allows for larger vessels to manoeuvre. Tennis courts, too, complete this list of energising facilities.
The architecture of the structures themselves has been envisioned as a harmonious ensemble of quiet and stealthy volumes. Although the façade can come across as quite serious and at points repetitive, the interior aims for a more varying quality, encompassing a number of architectonical compositions.
Helping to balance the transition from indoors to out, arcades act as shady porches, linking the two. A strongly open-plan nature has been bestowed on the whitewashed building’s exteriors - columns have been used in several instances - to achieve this same effect. It is hoped that potential future extensions could be easily assimilated, whilst maintaining the key, well-proportioned equilibrium.
Tom Aston
Editorial