LOCATION: Francisco Moreno 175 - Bariloche, Argentina.

 

PROJECT

Andrés Bertoni

Matías Imbern

Agustín Ramonda

 

TEAM

Rafaela Canalini

Valentina Braccialarghe

 

YEAR 2023 – 2028

 

DESCRIPTION:

The fundamental premise of the project stems from an attentive reading of the landscape and urban environment of San Carlos de Bariloche. Challenging traditional hospitality typology, the building proposes a programmatic inversion. Recognizing that the uninterrupted views of Lake Nahuel Huapi and the Andes Mountains are the site's greatest asset, the decision was made to locate the social areas on the seventh level. This operation elevates the building's "noble floor" above the average height of the surrounding urban fabric, transforming the rooftop into a panoramic lookout with democratic access for all guests.

 

At the Moreno Street level, the building renounces hermeticism. Instead of closing the front with a conventional lobby, the Ground Floor is opened up to create a semi-public urban passage. This "Free Ground Floor" functions as a connecting hinge, creating a fluid path that invites pedestrians into a central plaza. This gesture not only provides "oxygen" to the urban fabric but also activates the base commercially, integrating the hotel into city life and blurring the rigid boundaries between public and private.

 

The building's image is defined by a strong rhythmic verticality. The facade is composed as a succession of solid, dark planes that seem to "open" organically. The Outer Skin: Materialized in dark graphite metal sheets, it responds to the urban and climatic character, providing solidity and protection. The Interior Fold: Upon opening, the facade reveals a warm materiality in wood tones, alluding to the interior of a tree or the natural erosion of rock. These "folds" function as solar control and privacy devices for the rooms, intentionally orienting the views.

 

The project is organized around a large central void (atrium/plaza) that spans the entire height of the building. This hollow heart fulfills a triple function:

_Bioclimatic: It ensures cross-ventilation and natural lighting in the corridors and internal rooms.

_Visual: It creates internal transparencies, allowing the vegetation of the ground-floor courtyard to be visible from the upper levels.

_Social: It acts as the vital core where interactions occur, breaking the monotony of the traditional hotel hallway.

 

The project stands as a contemporary landmark in dialogue with geography. It is a piece of architecture that is simultaneously an introspective refuge and a contemplation terrace. A contemporary reinterpretation of mountain architecture that seeks to capture light, frame the landscape, and give space back to the city.