In an effort to promote and disseminate scientific activities in Argentina, the National Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MINCyT), together with the Central Society of Architects (SCA), launched a National Preliminary Project Competition to design the buildings that will make up the "City of Science." This initiative is in conjunction with MINCyT, the Cultural Center of Science (C3), the IDI Agency, CONICET, and the Max Planck Institute Argentina, which currently comprise the Scientific and Technological Pole. Proposing an "Innovation Ecosystem," the project will be located in the Palermo neighborhood of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, specifically across two blocks of the former Palermo Railway Yard.
Fostering encounters between society, the scientific and academic communities, and innovative proposals, the competition aims to secure the best and most innovative architectural proposal for the new buildings, which will feature science exhibition areas, workspaces, innovation areas, an auditorium, and complementary spaces. Additionally, it seeks to generate synergies with public and private institutions through an adjacent public space designed for social, cultural, and recreational activities. This will foster exchange among the scientific community, the public sector, and the private sector, generating new knowledge and opportunities.
Out of 37 submissions, the jury—composed of Agustín Garona and Gustavo Mossayebeh for MINCyT, Rita Comando for SCA, Silvana Parentella for FADEA, and Roberto Frangella representing the participants—decided to award three prizes and a series of honorable mentions. Discover them below.
First Prize
Project description provided by the authors. Science is knowledge. Science seeks to observe, discover, and understand how the universe and all things work. At the center of human knowledge is nature, and at the center of this urban intervention is nature. The buildings embrace and celebrate nature, sheltering it and highlighting its value. The architecture does not celebrate itself; instead, it dramatizes the void—the interior of the block, saturated with vegetation and ecosystems born from the preservation of permeable soil. Living soil is the best strategy for absorbing CO2 and producing oxygen. In times of climate change, these practices are not only interesting but urgent. The building brings this strategy to the forefront, making it explicit.
In urban planning terms, this relationship between science and nature, and knowledge as a tool to balance progress and preservation, is analogous to solid/void, private/public, or built-up area/green space. Consequently, the intervention celebrates and enhances the courtyard (the center of the block), here in its maximum expression, where native ecosystems emerge from virgin soil. This interior bioclimatic buffer is housed in a courtyard configuration created by building along the sides of the blocks, while keeping the boundary between them open to unify them through the landscape. This courtyard format generates the protected interior ecosystem, with the perimeter construction defining the streetscape and providing necessary urban continuity. To this end, special care is taken to program the ground floors facing the sidewalk with active functions, contributing to urban vitality and continuity. Similarly, a permeable facade faces the linear park along the railway tracks, featuring a large arcade that connects the interior ecosystem with the exterior green space.
The building is accessible and inclusive, using its presence not to dominate the site, but to free up public space. By linking high-quality public spaces for the community and providing urban continuity for pedestrians, the intervention aims to connect humans, nature, and technology.
Science is a specific human activity aimed at acquiring knowledge about the universe. Shaped by our current lifestyle, it takes on a particular form linked to technological development.
Technology occupies center stage today, and its development seems boundless. In contrast, nature has been neglected for long periods. Environmental stewardship has only returned to the agenda due to environmental and climate crises. Today, these are the two main pillars of the global agenda.
Developing the City of Science offers a great opportunity to highlight this relationship and demonstrate that both can coexist in harmony. The character of the intervention is defined by the contrast between rational, technological prisms and organic ecosystems on virgin soil, which complement and enhance one another. At this historical juncture, the building must address this reality.
It seeks to astonish us with the latest technological advances while simultaneously inspiring wonder at the magic of nature and the miracle of life—recapturing the capacity for wonder of early scientists who derived knowledge from observing nature (like Humboldt). The intervention aims to draw attention to this through disruption: suddenly, the built environment ends, and original soil, Mother Earth, appears—offering a pause for reflection. More than a building, the complex offers an experience: hybrid spaces where exterior merges with interior, void with structure, and the digital with the natural.
Second Prize
Project description provided by the authors. We believe that the development of the City of Science focuses on creating spaces that connect science with people. Therefore, we prioritize a significant intervention in the public realm to establish the ideal framework for connecting the buildings with society, as well as the scientific and academic communities.
The future Science Park will feature a key connection space, linking pedestrian traffic from Godoy Cruz Street with that from Juan B. Justo Avenue (taking advantage of the elevated railway). Through our clearing strategy, the Plaza of Science will act as an atrium for public access to the park, establishing a connection with the current CONICET building via the sidewalk. The premise of creating a void as the guiding axis of our building's urban scheme is key to understanding our approach to the urban fabric. We believe this will be a pivotal space that gathers crowds, justifying an intervention of this scale. It will serve as an outdoor venue for science events, scientific talks, exhibitions, and more.
We consider it necessary to create a void between buildings to establish the appropriate public scale for access and the expansion of outdoor activities that connect science with people. Consequently, we split the program into two buildings:
- Building A: Exhibitions – A freestanding volume that engages with all its boundaries, serving as a prominent urban landmark in the surroundings. It complies with the 20% open space requirement and the total buildable area of the lot.
- Building B: Auditorium and Rooms – A building integrated into the existing fabric to consolidate an urban piece that articulates the layout of the Plaza of Science. The auditorium is located below the plaza, with the capability to operate independently of the Exhibition Building if required. The decision to place it in the basement beneath the plaza allows for a potential dual auditorium setup: an outdoor one (the plaza) and a controlled underground one with the specific characteristics of a proper auditorium (the box). This box is designed with maximum programmatic flexibility to meet various needs. A coffered ceiling structure spans large distances without interference, accommodating events with diverse dynamics.
As science is constantly advancing and innovating, the spaces must be flexible enough to accommodate the exhibitions and programs that will develop in the buildings over time.
We believe it is important for the building to be constructed using local building practices, making its development sustainable during construction while successfully establishing its institutional identity and character through the honest expression of its structural elements and building envelope. Accordingly, we adopted a construction system of precast reinforced concrete elements to streamline assembly and accelerate the construction process.
By utilizing a concise architectural language that expresses the structural reality of the system's components, we shape the building's exterior image, showcasing the movement of the circulation loop and entrances. We believe that minimizing construction time and selecting genuine, locally manufactured materials are fundamental principles when conceiving public buildings.
Third Prize
Project description provided by the authors. Since its founding, the city of Buenos Aires has been defined and represented by landmark institutional buildings that accommodate the activities required by public authorities.
The National Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation represents the scientific sector in Argentina. It is the institution that fosters new technologies and is tasked with promoting Argentine innovation worldwide. The Preliminary Project Competition for the City of Science presents a major opportunity to develop a building design that addresses these societal challenges. Thus, creating a new space that meets all future operational requirements is essential. Through its iconic presence, the project will establish a legacy for future generations, championing the mission and values rooted in the rich history of national science.
The project site sits within a unique context, forming part of an urban plan for Palermo that proposes a new park and urban profile. A series of continuous buildings will define a new frontage integrated with the parkland. Within this framework, the City of Science acts as a volumetric element of continuity, establishing urban and architectural guidelines for the area's future transformation.
The proposal establishes a strong relationship with the future urban environment. At the same time, it seeks a balanced connection between the various workspaces, meeting areas, and the vibrant public spaces characteristic of the area.
The design is context-sensitive to the architectural scale and identity of this part of the city. Valued heritage structures, such as railway buildings and sheds, the linear park site, new developments, and the urban edge along Godoy Cruz Street and its cross streets (Nicaragua and Costa Rica) define the neighborhood's scale and spatial character. These elements—influencing land use and natural green spaces—will be highlighted and integrated with the new project.
Accordingly, the City of Science defines a new urban public space. This urban and architectural proposal establishes an edge directly connected to Palermo and its new linear park. It creates an urban setting dedicated to science, technology, and innovation, where the city's past, present, and future can coexist.
The architectural concept aims to generate a building form and an image of science, technology, and innovation that resonates naturally with the region, the city, and its residents. Conceived as a three-dimensional skeleton for the City of Science, the design promotes the identity of a "singular piece." To this end, the intervention seeks to project a cohesive image—a new urban element where individual components belong to a larger whole. This skeleton serves as the physical structure of the City of Science, supporting its entire weight and volume.
This element is composed of concrete frames set to a uniform module. Working in unison, they convey the image of a single piece, even though the scheme consists of two separate buildings. This is an architecture that expresses itself through its structural framing to represent science in Argentina.
Honorable Mentions
This article was written by Agustina Iñiguez. The translation is powered by AI.
