La Aurora Housing
Montevideo, Uruguay
2024
After serving the textile factory La Aurora until its closure, and being a municipal shelter for 17 years, the Martínez Reina building was abandoned in 1995. Since then, it has been inhabited by security guards, nostalgic former residents, and ghosts.
In response to the call to build new social housing on the site, we explore the potential of valuing what has been built: its spaces, matters, stories, and myths.
The project submitted to the public tender organized by the Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas for the construction of 80 housing units within the original structure of the building proposes intertwining the new with the intelligence of what already exists. In an effort to avoid unnecessary demolitions and thus minimize the impact of the construction on various scales, we prioritize conservation, repair, and reuse of the majority of the built mass.
To ensure the healthiness of the habitable spaces, we performed a series of surgical operations on the building's shell with the aim of making it more porous and permeable, thereby enabling good circulation of air and sunlight throughout all spaces.
In addition to functioning as large voids through which air and natural light travel to the apartments, both common areas and exteriors were designed with the idea of fostering neighborly coexistence.
In this sense, we created three new communal equipments designed to be constructed using debris obtained from demolitions: a bench/plant-bed, stands, and a play-wall, all located in the central spaces of each level.
The 80 apartments are arranged according to a clear strips system that responds to the structural rhythm found. Some residences face the new courtyard while others are connected with the street and urban life.
On the upper levels, the inverted duplexes—social area above, bedrooms below—allow us to separate the bedroom partitions from the original structure and thus make the most of the limited free heights between slabs and beams. Additionally, each unit features a spacious terrace with planters that separates and isolates the interior from the industrial facade wall.
Authors:
FROM (Matías Carballal, Mauricio López) + SB (Sergio Barreto)
Project Team:
Santiago Alvante, Laura Castell, Pablo Courreges, Hernán Gómez, Emiliano Lago, Sebastián Lambert, Aldo Lanzi, Lucía Martinotti, Cecilia Mautone, Diego Morera, Valentina Mozo, Victoria Muniz, Martina Pedreira, Emma Prevett, Camila Tekiel, Agustina Vigevani
Construction and Engineering Company: TEYMA S.A.
Surveyor: Agrimensur (Ing. Gabriel Segalerba)
Thermal Project: Barbot Ingenieros (Ing. Jorge Barbot)
Renderings: Aldo Lanzi