Project description by jury

Finding effective water and flood management strategies is critical for the province of Chaco, Argentina which is affected by extreme rainfall and related flooding events. This proposal, resulting from a multidisciplinary and multiscale design effort, attempts to offer water infrastructure for the city of Resistencia that goes beyond merely solving an environmental problem. Located in a territorial void of a peripheral area, the urban dike proposed by the project is conceived not only as a hydric platform but also as a social catalyst for the city. The artificial water basin is equipped with a series of modular structures adaptable to different uses that create various leisure scenarios according to the water level. A band of vegetation surrounding the infrastructure is placed as a transition area between the water and the adjacent urban fabric.

Jury appraisal

The LafargeHolcim Awards jury Latin America was very impressed by the multidisciplinary approach of this proposal ranging from architectural and landscape design to hydraulic engineering. The way in which the project transforms the critical issue of flooding into a resource for the community and the environment was considered to be a brilliant idea. The project effectively combines large-scale water infrastructure embedded in the territory that is welcoming to the local community and thereby reaches an urban dimension. The playful character of the water basin that changes its configuration depending on the weather was considered a clever and interesting operation. The intelligent landscape design as a permeable buffer around the water basin was commended. It is a key asset of the project which made it convincing and unique in its genre. The project suggests a design methodology to tackle an environmental problem that exists in many regions of the world, which makes this proposal globally relevant.