Classic Buenos Aires

A few images of famous historical places in Buenos Aires. The first few are of the train station in Retiro, and the last are of the Banco de Londres (now Banco Hipotecario) by famous Argentine architect Clorindo Testa.

Train Station in Retiro
































Banco de Londres

Site Visit to Rehabilitation Institute by Claudio Vekstein

On October 18th, we toured Claudio's Rehabilitation Institute project in Vicente Lopez. Claudio Vekstein is the director of our program, and is from Buenos Aires and teaches at Arizona State. It's always fun to visit something you know would never get built in the United States. The core of the project is the large ramp system circulating around the courtyard for patients to exercise up and down.

Boca vs. River Game

National Geographic says this game is one of the Top 10 things you have to do in your life. This game lived up to it. The two teams are River Plate and Boca Juniors, both located in the city of Buenos Aires. The game was at River Plates Stadium, which is close to my school. We bought a package deal in order to go to the game in the general seating section, and we got to see the game from front and center. It was crazy the whole game chanting, singing, pushing, punching, screaming, shoving, the works....

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu! What an amazing site, its one of the New 7 World Wonders now. Myself, Jesse, Josh, and Kelvin fly into Cusco Saturday the 10th and hiked up to Machu Picchu by Thursday the 15th. Details of the hike below, but Machu Picchu was incredible. The Incans retreated here after the Spanish invaded Cusco in the 1500's, and the Spanish never found the site. It was discovered by an American in 1911, and we preserved. Thousands of people flock here a day, but steps are being taken to control the number of tourists to keep the site maintained. We also climbed up to Waynapicchu Mountain afterward to get a better view. I think the altitude here is something like 2,800 meters above sea level.

Best view



















ME!



















This is the view from Waynapicchu Mountain















Me, Jesse, and Josh














Josh and I on top of Wayaupicchu



















arrving in the morning














another morning shot with fog














panoramic in the middle







old entry



















steps up



















interior space















And now for the hike....
we arrived in Cusco on the 10th in the morning after spending the night in Lima's airport, and spent the day in Cusco. We began the hike in Mollepata and hiked 8 hours to our first campsite at the base of a snow drenched mountain. The second day was the hardest hike as we had to hike 10 hours, the first four of which were intense and uphill to an altitude of 4,700 meters above sea level. It was pretty dead once we got to the top, but some rest helped. The rest of day the we hiked into the jungle into a small village and eventually crashed for the night. The third day we hiked up towards Santa Theresa and set up camp and went into the thermal bathes there at nighttime. It was so nice to relax in some water after not showering for 3 days. We spent the night camped in town playing with monkeys. Four day, we hiked along the railroad tracks until Aguas Calientes and through Hydrolectico. By the time we got to our hostel in Aguas Calientes my feet and ankles were literally double their size from mosquito bites, even with bug spray! Still an amazing trip, the hike was super tough but well worth it. And now back to work...

center of Cusco



















our group in Mollepata as we start the 5 day hike














our guide for the hike, Enrique



















our camping gear's transportation














our lunch site on the first day



















amazing view














me on the 2nd day on hard to find flat land



















highest altitude, 4,700 meters above sea level











Kelvin on a horse, altitude sickness














josh on rock














waterfall getting into the jungle



















peruvian jungle















slum outside of Santa Theresa









our visitor on the campsite, 3rd day. I gave him a cracker














walk on the 4th day into Aguas Calientes














getting into aguas calientes

Tour of Puerto Madero

Went walked through Puerto Madero last Monday. Puerto Madero is the old port of Buenos Aires, and is now being revitalized with parks and residential towers. It is located directly across from Mircocentro and Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo. The main pedestrian access is this bridge below design by Spaniard architect Santiago Calatrava.

Puente de la Mujer by Santiago Calatrava














Canal and cranes in Puerto Madero









View from highest point in Puerto Madero







This is how dense Buenos Aires is














Cranes



















Mujeres Argentinas Park














another park in Puerto Madero

Tallest Point in Buenos Aires

We got to go to the top floor of a residential tower under construction today that will be the tallest building in Buenos Aires. Amazing view. You can really see how huge the city is.

El Zanjon

We visited this old house called El Zanjon Wednesday in San Telmo. It was an old abandoned building and this guy bought it years ago and fixed it up. There are a couple buildings that make up this complex. There is a very strong Scarpa influence as well. We toured this as research for our project with our special advisor Marcelo Weissel. He is a urban archaeologist and we are working with him to better understand our project. Also tomorrow we are going to a park to have some asado that Marcelo is cooking for all of us!























































































































Our group with Marcelo (right) and Jimena Martignoni (bottom left)

more shots of Buenos Aires

Here are some more shots from around Buenos Aires.

The Obelisk on Avenida 9 de Julio














Plaza de Mayo














San Telmo



















in San Telmo














shooting a commercial in microcentro














9 de Julio

What I'm working on

Here is the site we are working on here in Buenos Aires. Its a very historic block near the center of Buenos Aires called Manzana de las Luces (the Block of Lights or Block of Knowledge). In the block is a church, Parroquia San Ignacio de Loyola (1608), the oldest and most prestigious high school in Argentina, Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, and some old houses. Our site is an empty lot where the University of Buenos Aires faculty of architecture and sciences once stood. During one of the dictatorships the building was torn down. Underneath the site and other blocks in Buenos Aires exist a series of tunnels that were dug by the Jesuits when they migrated to Buenos Aires in the 1600's. They are thought to have been exitways out of the city if it were under attack.

























































Our Studio

Miranda Visits

Miranda was here visiting from the 6th of August until the 11th. We walked the whole city and some parks and went to Montevideo over the weekend. Wish we had stayed here though.

The Obelisk on Av. 9 de Julio, widest street in the world














Miranda and I outside the Planetarium in Palermo














The guys in front of the Planetarium














Out to dinner at Freud and Fahler restaurant in Soho