“Service Points” are new small towers inserted within the informal fabric of Córdoba, Argentina. The project’s twofold objective is to provide an array of services for low-income populations as well as to increase social interaction among citizens. Covering a spectrum of amenities, the towers offer spaces for multiple uses – ranging from everyday activities such as childcare, cooking, and laundry to cultural activities such as theater, music, and exhibitions. In terms of their construction, the towers form an adaptable framework (including the necessary infrastructure), which can be transformed to accommodate current as well as hitherto unforeseen needs. The structures correspondingly define open outdoor spaces, which can be used and thus appropriated by the users as well.

“Service Points” are new small towers inserted within the informal fabric of Córdoba, Argentina. The project’s twofold objective is to provide an array of services for low-income populations as well as to increase social interaction among citizens. Covering a spectrum of amenities, the towers offer spaces for multiple uses – ranging from everyday activities such as childcare, cooking, and laundry to cultural activities such as theater, music, and exhibitions. In terms of their construction, the towers form an adaptable framework (including the necessary infrastructure), which can be transformed to accommodate current as well as hitherto unforeseen needs. The structures correspondingly define open outdoor spaces, which can be used and thus appropriated by the users as well.

The jury considers the project to offer a provocative and contemporary interpretation of Cedric Price’s experimental proposals of the 1960s and 1970s; projects such as the Fun Palace, the InterAction Centre, or the Generator Project. Not unlike Price’s vision, the socalled “Service Points” are tools for capacity- and community-building. Likewise, they offer a physical armature that is adaptable to ever-changing societal needs. The jury applauds the authors’ vision of foregrounding not only architecture’s socio-spatial characteristics, but above all architecture’s role as an agent for improving the conditions of underprivileged and often marginalized communities.