Centro de Escalada La Boca

Graduate Architecture Design Studio

Washington University in St. Louis - Buenos Aires Study Abroad

Instructors: Gerardo Caballero and Gustavo Cardon

The design studio for my semester abroad in Buenos Aires asked us to reconsider and repurpose a set of silos used to contain and clean sand from local dredging efforts. Inspired by the work of artist Anselm Keifer and his thought that "creation and destruction are one and the same...no atom is ever lost," my project was guided by the dichotomies of creation + destruction and balance + movement. Selectively removing pieces of the containers with the silos, while maintaining the overall structure gives way for new programmatic opportunities. Three primary programs re-occupy the silos: dance, yoga, and rock climbing. Each of these activities requires balance, tension, and movement in both horizontal and vertical directions. The verticality of the silos is accentuated through the removal of select sections of the existing structure creating new outdoor space where climbing can occur. The silo compartments that remain make room for dance and yoga studios with the remnants of the original concrete construction establishing new conditions within which to move. The removal of significant pieces of the original structure leaves the silo in unbalanced pieces, solved with the addition of exterior walkways that serve as both circulation and structural reinforcement. The effect, viewed from the exterior, is a building in tension and balance, reflecting the programs it contains. The building then becomes like a body in movement, with skeletal and muscular systems serving the needs of new occupations.