Architect: Emilio Ambasz

Argentinean architect Emilio Ambasz works hard to reconcile his work with nature. Be it his Italian street lights or his world-renown, award-winning Fukuoka government building in Japan, Ambasz’s work stands out by blending in.

Having spent the majority of his career abroad, from his studies at Princeton to his work throughout Europe, Ambasz’s most recent project sees him return to his homeland. Emilio has been asked by the Argentine government to renovate a complex of two buildings in a rundown area of Buenos Aires for the purpose of turning it into museums.

Though the buildings are conjoined, they are stylistically divergent. One of the structures is a 50’s office complex, the other a 19th century factory. The proposed renovations will host both the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires and the Museo del Cine. Together, the pair forms the Polo Cultural Sur center.

Ambasz’s plan aims to unite the buildings with a single, verdant façade. By erecting a wall of plants within the buildings’ arcade, the architect solves several problems. First, the stylistic divide is reconciled. Secondly, the unkempt premises are transformed into a welcoming, vertiginous environment. Lastly, the wall of plants will block the harsh southern sun that spills into the buildings during the day.

The back of the complex, which faces a highway, will be adorned with giant television and projection screens, to protect the museums from traffic noise and project images of art, clips of cinema, and information about exhibitions and events.

In renovating the space for Buenos Aires’ Polo Cultural Sur museum complex, Ambasz looks to integrate traditional, natural, and progressive notions, in an effort to create a comfortable home for art. Both museums are expected to open to the public by mid 2011.

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by William Gish
Gloobbi Architecture

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