Edificio Kavanagh, the pinnacle of Argentine rationalism

Edificio Kavanagh
Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos, Luis María de la Torre
Buenos Aires, Argentina
34°35′43,5″S 58°22′28,8″W
1936

In the 1930s, the city of Buenos Aires underwent a profound architectural renewal, ushering in a new era of modernity. The recent proliferation of rationalist-inspired architecture culminated in the construction of the Edificio Kavanagh, a triangular liner 120m high overlooking the city.

The accelerated transformation of Buenos Aires

Between 1880 and 1930, the city of Buenos Aires underwent rapid densification as a result of general demographic growth in the country. This led to a need to optimise the occupation of urban space, and new forms of housing emerged. The city is historically developed on a grid plan, dividing the urban fabric into squares known as manzanas. The plots of these manzanas were then narrowed in width, redefining the modes of occupation. The casa chorizo, for example, is a typical form of housing from this period. Occupied plots optimised their length, and a succession of similar dwellings were built along a single longitudinal axis, between the street and the centre of the manzana. These low-rise buildings, with their adaptable layout, also made it possible to optimise the possibilities for owners to rent out and divide up their plots. As a result, low-rise, high-density housing developed, joining existing and emerging typologies such as conventillos and casas romanas. Property speculation and migratory flows increased the pressure on the city, and the urban logic turned towards vertical densification of housing. The city, which was undergoing constant change, saw the construction of palacios de renta, multi-storey buildings based on models derived from French academicism. These revenue houses became taller, more complex in their plans, and above all a financially well-off population living there.

Defining a new housing typology

The influence of the architects was crucial in defining an aesthetic character that contributed to the city’s image, but also in pushing back the constructive limits of the time. This was the case, for example, with the construction of the Palacio Barolo in 1921, which, thanks to its reinforced concrete structure, reached a height of 100 metres, making it the tallest building in South America. The widening of the avenues in the city centre ushered in a new wave of modernity, and the business model of the edificio de renta, already well established, was combined with the influences of modern architecture. Imposing new buildings were erected in the city, with their simple aesthetics and innovative proportions. These included the SAFICO, built in 1934, a true emblem of modernism, and above all the Kavanagh, a synthesis of rationalism and art deco.

The center of Buenos Aires in 1936, the Kavanagh Building in the lower left corner, the Comega in the top left corner and the SAFICO in the top right corner
The Kavanagh, the emblem of porteño rationalism

The edificio Kavanagh, built by Argentine architects Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos and Luis María de la Torre, was one of the country’s first skyscrapers. The project arose from Corina Kavanagh’s intention to build her own building and convert it into an edificio de renta, while also living on an entire floor. The first particularity of the building is its position on a triangular plot of 2400m², on a slope, almost unheard of in the middle of the horizontal urban grid of Buenos Aires. The project therefore had to adapt to this particular shape, dividing the plot into several volumes articulated around an imposing central block. Built in 14 months, it breaks away from the traditional form and, with its long, unadorned vertical lines, stands out as an avant-garde building in the urban landscape. Its staggered massing gives it the shape of a ship’s bow, facing the Rio de la Plata.
Thanks to its reinforced concrete structure, the Kavanagh building is 120m high, making it the tallest building in the country. With the idea of building the most modern building possible, the Kavanagh adopted an architecture that synthesised the rationalist and art deco ideas that were beginning to find their place in the city. It was also the first residential building to have air conditioning and central heating. Despite this, the building’s avant-garde character is evident almost solely in its form, as the interior plans had not yet incorporated modern ideas, preferring a classic distribution of space, between voluminous halls and ridiculous service areas. This is a reflection of what this building represents in the city of Buenos Aires. A unique, innovative, iconic, rational building, but still attached to a certain idea of classic comfort, symptomatic of a city in transformation seeking to inaugurate its new modernity.

Edificio Kavanagh
Edificio Kavanagh 1
Axo Kavanagh
Axonometric view
Plan Kavanagh
Ground floor, First floor floor, type floor 2 to 9
Source: Moderna Buenos Aires, Arquitectes, Arquitectura Moderna en Buenos Aires (1928-1945). Un estudio de la Casa de Renta
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