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Centro de Servicios Puertos Escobar

Fernando Schapochnik

Animated vignettes: human, landscape, and structure in harmony.


The calm atmosphere of the lagoon in Escobar, Buenos Aires is augmented by an eloquent structure designed by Torrado Arquitectos. The designers' thoughtful consideration of the site produced an intervention that frames the serene landscape instead of intruding upon it. In this clip, Fernando Schapochnik documents the project with a similar method of subtle eloquence.

The Centro de Servicios is the first public building within the Puertos new development. A combination of spatial organization and indeterminacy inform the program allowing for a fluid experience. The spaces offer fixed services – café, exhibition, dining, office, etc.– without explicitly defining boundaries. The result is a diaphanous architecture that welcomes the unexpected.

Created for the 2017 Biennial of Latin American Architecture in Pamplona, Fernando Schapochnik's clip is a thoughtful documentation of activity, environment, and structure. His minimal cinematic sensibilities, which create scenes resembling animated photography more than film, effectively evoke the tranquility and stillness that characterize the landscape. The camera begins and ends at a distance allowing the building to blend with the horizon. Details of the scene elucidate as each subsequent shot moves closer to the activity; a slender concrete sculpture grazes the sky, children ride bicycles around the plaza, and a fountain breaks the silence. As the camera finds its way into the spaces, the lagoon moves into focus and the architecture becomes the frame.

The simple storyline of the film - arrival and departure - echoes the subtlety of the building; they are both terse and powerful. By keeping the camera stationary, the emphasis shifts to the movements within the frame. The result is a series of animated vignettes that guide the viewer through the landscape, through the building, and through the evening.

(Story by Stephen Scabora, The Architecture Player)

Credits

Architect: Torrado Arquitectos
Mentioned project: Centro de Servicios (2014-2015)
Project location: Puertos, Lago Escobar, Argentina
Editor: Martina De Barba

Argentina 2016
Duration: 3'23''