![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d12f/f91c/8171/5b00/0c9a/newsletter/imagen442.jpg?1617219873)
Designed in the late 70s by MSGSSV, the Terraces of Manantiales (Terrazas de Manantiales) is a summer house complex by the Atlantic Ocean built in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Exterior Photography, Arch](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d15c/f91c/8162/e000/0dba/newsletter/imagen449.jpg?1617219916)
The architecture firm led by Flora Manteola, Javier Sánchez Gómez, Josefina Santos, Justo Solsona, and Rafael Viñoly designed 92 summer homes on an 8,000-square-meter plot (86,111 square feet) creating a small town by the ocean.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Brick](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d156/f91c/8171/5b00/0c9e/newsletter/imagen446.jpg?1617219910)
Official description:
It is a group of ninety-two summer houses organized as a small town facing the sea.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Exterior Photography, Arch](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d18e/f91c/8162/e000/0dbe/newsletter/manantiales006.jpg?1617219965)
It presents a unique building with the surprising spatial features of a Mediterranean Sea town and the rigorous design methodology of contemporary architecture.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Interior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d175/f91c/8162/e000/0dbc/newsletter/imagen451.jpg?1617219938)
The resulting volumetry respects the natural slope of the land, and is perceived as a compact and stepped mass towards the beach. The stepped orientation generates terraces and allows to explore the most suitable views and orientations.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d120/f91c/8171/5b00/0c98/newsletter/manantialescolor009.jpg?1617219859)
The tangled articulations of the residential complex achieve their unity through the use of the same materials: exposed brick, with terracotta and brown-toned plasters on some specific surfaces.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d094/f91c/8171/5b00/0c8e/newsletter/manantialescolor002.jpg?1617219711)
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Exterior Photography, Brick, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d10d/f91c/8171/5b00/0c96/newsletter/manantialescolor006.jpg?1617219829)
The summer houses are connected by a system of vaulted streets that go down towards the shore. A transversal circulation—with covered sectors and others uncovered—serves as access to some houses and goes through small squares protected from the winds, where shops and services are located.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Interior Photography, Brick](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d0aa/f91c/8171/5b00/0c90/newsletter/manantialescolor003.jpg?1617219739)
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Exterior Photography, Brick, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d0f5/f91c/8171/5b00/0c94/newsletter/manantialescolor005.jpg?1617219813)
The parking lots are arranged below the summer houses, which are located on a higher level of the plot.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Image 18 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d040/f91c/8162/e000/0db2/newsletter/001-planta_techos_byn.jpg?1617219639)
In 2015, this project was part of the Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955–1980 exhibition. Currently, the model, photographs, and some original plans are archived at the MoMA.
![Architecture Classic: Terraces of Manantiales / MSGSSV - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6064/d04e/f91c/8171/5b00/0c88/newsletter/003-detalle.jpg?1617219652)
Details
Architects: MSGSSV
Location: Punta del Este, Uruguay
Site area: 8,000 m2
Built area: 12,000 m2
Project: 1977-1978
Completion: 1981