Foster and Partners’ first project in Latin America is The Aleph, the centrepiece of Buenos Aires’ new cultural district, developed in collaboration with hotelier, cultural entrepreneur and man about town Alan Faena. Adjoining his earlier Faena Hotel + Universe, a fine slice of over-the-top accommodation that caught our eye last year, and the forthcoming El Molino art museum, Faena and Foster will complete the transformation of the Puerto Madero Este docklands into a cultural destination. While the Faena Hotel was carved out of a massive old brick built grain elevator, The Aleph will be a spectacular new build, comprising of live-work spaces and a new covered market square for events. Foster is proposing elegant apartments with double-height living spaces, generous balconies and a façade composed of sliding screens, a nod to the area’s traditional architecture. If all goes according to plan, the first apartment block will start on site soon, with the entire complex up and running in time for the celebrations of 200 years of Argentinean independence in 2010.
Tuesday 6 January 2009
