Three transparent boxes in a public square

The Malba Puertos, in Escobar, is a unconventional museum since the hall is a semi-covered plaza and the interior of the rooms – and what is displayed there – can be seen from the outside of the building.

But it is not worth leaning the cream against the glass because the entry is free. You only need to present the document at a security checkpoint when entering the urbanization.

The Spanish study led by Juan Herreros -with Torrado studio as a local partner- organized the complex based on a large 1,200 m2 roof of translucent domes supported by three pavilions arranged in such a way that they create an open square.

The building functions as art collection technical reserve by Eduardo Costantini who, instead of expanding Malba in Buenos Aires, decided to generate a new point of attraction in the urbanization he is developing under the wing of Consultatio.

“This new space aims to create a center of gravity in the artistic and cultural life of the Northern Zone, in contact with nature and with the expertise of Malba,” stated the opening newsletter. Since last September, the new art center has served as a accessible, community spaceeducational, interdisciplinary and contemporary.

Costantini had already entrusted the studio responsible for the Munch Museum in Oslo with a smaller commission, as if to warm up: the intervention in the public areas of the Malba Buenos Aires, in which the hall space was freed up, the store was renovated and they earned views of the neighboring square.

In 2017, Herreros made the hall of the Palermo museum a single open space and with a gray floor he intended it to be perceived as an extension of the public space of the sidewalk. At that time, the Spanish architect stated: “A modern museum must be inclusivereceptive and friendly towards a citizenry that does not want to know about elitism. The city must enter the museum. Contemporary art is nothing more than the creative expression of people who have the same concerns as citizens.”

He returned to these concepts to develop the new assignment for the collector of Latin American art. For Herreros, in Malba Puertos “three inevitable interests to understand the future of the present: art as a mechanism for asking questions about the contradictions of the times we have lived in; the fragility of nature as the foundation of our relationship with the world; and attention to communities whose history must be rewritten, frequently ignored by the most orthodox cultural environment.”

Faced with this diagnosis, the author explains that he did not consider it pertinent to propose “a building with urban reminiscences, orthodoxly delimited, hierarchical and with a well-chained route.” He even found “the idea we have of a museum for an enclave that wants to be more of a random place of stay What an orderly visit.”

For this reason, the author conceived Malba Puertos as “a transparent, porous, democratic construction, that dilutes its limits, in which exhibition is mixed with learningthe archival work with indigenous cultures, the interior with the exterior until, because it does not have one, it does not even have a main door.”

The result is the superposition of three exhibition models that go beyond the conventional program for a museum, according to the descriptive report: “A circuit of outdoor sculptures which tries to associate the surrounding urban enclave with contemporary art and draw attention to the incalculable value of the lakes natural reserve; a geometric forest that frames a plantation of alder trees whose clearings act as open-air exhibition halls; and a set of three pavilions and three plazas that make up the heart of the project.”

A cover defined by a metal coffered organizes the space. It is supported by only two free columns and the collaboration of simulated supports in the glazed envelope of the three pavilions that contain an exhibition hall with a small bookstore and the design store (600 m2), a warehouse of works of art that can be visited with a pedagogical space and a cafe (500 m2) and a fully glazed volume that houses a permanent sculptural installation by the Tucumán artist Gabriel Chaile (350 m2).

“The pavilions are prisms of light construction with a repetitive perimeter structure of steel supports and opaque parts of concrete panels. Its simplicity and isotropic condition, a certain industrial character and the effort to naturally integrate the installations seen, dilute the usual solemnity associated with entering and visiting museums,” describes the author.

In turn, the grid of full web steel beams that makes up the roof is crowned by translucent domes that shed diffuse light over three squares: one open to the city, another to the lake and another to nature. These spaces are intended to be exhibition places capable of hosting multiple activities.

The internal exhibition hall, the largest, has view of the lakes and natural lighting. A mechanical light and curtain control system conditions the space according to requirements and time of day. Its orientation allows you to enjoy the sunsets but leaves it vulnerable to the western sun.

The Chaile Pavilion, also completely glazed, contains the five large sculptures made by the artist from Tucumán. This particular room is a focus of attraction from the outside plaza.

He deposit of works of art It has the capacity to hold between 800 and 900 pieces of different formats. This space responds to the needs of access, registration, classification and control of air quality.

Through large windows it is visible to all visitors, who can appreciate the “behind the scenes” work of a technical reserve and enter for special activities. In the same pavilion there is a pedagogical room multipurpose and a cafe overlooking the lake.

Finally, the experience continues with a walk through three open spaces located in an alder plantation. The small forest is crossed by a path that tour sculptures and artistic installations. This space is also used as a laboratory for the observation and study of exotic plants; and for workshops with children.

Puertos, in Escobar, also has an art circuit distributed in different public spaces of the urbanization, also with free access. In squares and roundabouts they are located 23 site-specific works of contemporary Argentine artists.

Location. Ports, Escobar, province of Buenos Aires Project. Estudio Herreros, architects Juan Herreros and Jens Richter Project team. Guillermo Martín-Peñasco, Miguel de la Ossa Local study. Estudio Torrado, architects Martín Torrado and Ligia Gaffuri Local team. Francisco Piferrer, José Gemini Equipment design. Herreros Studio, Flora Studio, Alto Estudio Landscaping. Bulla Structure Study. Daniel Isola Photographs. Cecilia Gil