Liniers Market, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Daylighting Maldonado Stream)

“It is waters that make the city”, Pliny the Elder, c. I a. C. 01
The Liniers Market sits at the intersection of highways and streams subjected to increased flood risk. This new active public space enhances an underdeveloped part of Buenos Aires, transforming and bringing the area together.

This project proposes the opening of circulations perpendicular to Av. Rivadavia and Av. Juan B. Justo, and the filtering and daylighting of the Maldonado Stream as a new public green space. A set of large white covers celebrate the recovery of this  riverbed with relocated commercial and recreational uses, in a space conducive to spontaneous and artistic exhibitions under  existing megastructures. Tractable with double negative curvatures, these covers are recyclable, washable, referenced, refractory  and contrasting. 

The tunneling of the Sarmiento train will redirect public transport flows, avoiding the current underuse of Av. Juan B. Justo for low performance polluting vehicles. Further, thanks to this rail optimization, native flora and fauna can now be recovered and  reintroduced to the area. Historically, the two avenues mentioned were physically and culturally unconnected: south of Liniers, an  intense commercial district did not have enough large spaces for its economic activities, which began to encroach onto sidewalks  and into high-flow streets as a result. Only 500 m North of Liniers, floodable void spaces were isolated by physical barriers. Self sufficient buildings like stadiums, workshops, or warehouses, were also separated from the rest of the city by uses as well. These  programs in disuse fractured the neighborhood generating ghettos with inducted social differences. 03 The so-called “Metrobus”  04 could have been an integration opportunity 05 from the pedestrianization of nodes, but it resulted only in exclusive lanes 04 for  slow and polluting transport companies, without stops in these potential areas. 02 Currently, the area North of the market is an  environment of unsynchronized strategic arteries, hampered by double platforms over basins and invisible beds. 

This project proposes the massive integration of public space in relation to nature under large light roofs, at the intersection of  large metropolitan flows, counteracting the current trend of taking over and reducing public spaces. 01 Arroyos Libres. Instagram @arroyoslibres, May 10, 2.021. 02 Livingston, Rodolfo. “It is not useful to improve transportation in a section. A comprehensive plan is needed to insert the Metrobus in a correct way”. Another  vision for the metrobus. Página/12, December 26, 2.012. 03 Tella, Guillermo. Buenos Aires, segregated city. Clarín, December 10, 2.012. 04 Sorín, Jaime. “This is not a Metrobus. They are exclusive channels for the benefit of private companies”. National Radio, 2.015. 05 Vuchic, Vukan. “The metropolitan area needs an integrated transport system and not mere patches”. The Metrobus on Av. 9 de Julio is a mistake. Clarín,  January 30, 2.013.

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