Located in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, the Mariano Moreno National Library stems from a national design competition launched in 1961. Built on the site of Argentina's former Presidential Residence during the presidency of Juan Domingo Perón (the Unzué Palace), the competition—which closed in April 1962—sought to shake up the architectural scene, serving not only as a mandatory step to develop the project but also as a platform for formal and programmatic experimentation.
Bounded by Agüero and Austria streets and del Libertador and Las Heras avenues, the National Library stands today, 60 years after the decision of that competition, which awarded four preliminary designs. The first-prize winning design, which was ultimately built, was awarded to architects Clorindo Testa, Francisco Bullrich, and Alicia Cazzaniga. Second prize went to Flora Manteola, Javier Sánchez Gómez, Justo Solsona, Carlos Libedinsky, and Antonio Diaz, while the third prize went to the firm of Rivarola y Soto, and the fourth to the office of Mario Roberto Álvarez.
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Thirty years after the inauguration of this cultural institution, the exhibition “Architectures for Knowledge: Documents of the National Library Competition (1962)” explores the four winning preliminary designs that vied for innovation and originality. Each proposal presented distinct ideas regarding aesthetic-expressive aspects, organizational criteria, and technical or construction details, highlighting its impact as an icon and the formal or material approach that defined it. As Luis MacKay, the Minister of Culture at the time, stated, “Today more than ever we need a sufficient margin of time and silence to restore our ability to remain attentive to artistic creation.”
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Original blueprints, sketches, models, photographs, project briefs, volumetric calculations, technical details, and other records make up this exhibition, which aims to spark architectural debate surrounding the Library's construction project. Several institutions, including the Clorindo Testa Foundation, the SCA, and CeDIAP, collaborated by providing these historical documents. This first exhibition by the Archivo Di Tella Arquitectura runs until November 17, 2022, in the annex space of the Taller de Arquitectura at the School of Architecture and Urban Studies of Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. It can be visited on Mondays and Thursdays between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM with prior registration.
"Architectures for Knowledge: Documents of the National Library Competition (1962)"
Project and research: Ricardo Fernández Rojas, Isabella Moretti
Team: Lucia Carli (research), Sofia Giayetto, Carolina Koen (project), Florencia Medina (executive coordination), Carolina Telo
Production and assembly: Fermin Indavere (Taller Chocha)
Models and redrawings: Students of Proyecto IV, Taller Fernández Rojas, Prof. Mariano Pensado; Students: Vicente Mauricio Abello Pueyo; Franco Bersano Rampoldi; Manuela Bunge; Juan Manuel Cásares; Delfina Sol Cachan; Agustín Dassieu Blanchet; Lucía Constanza Di Vilio; Milagros Celina Gayá Sánchez; Alejo Gabriel Guerrero Raminy; Lara Belén Jaworski; José Lipera; Catalina Logiacco; Nicolás López Rizzuto; Máximo Movsovich; Mateo Ignacio Natero; Santiago Posse Melina; Ramón Silva; Jeremías Toledo; Ángel Nicolás Wang
Furnishings: OW Ordoñez Wenzke (curtains), Galof Estudio (armchairs)
Audiovisual production: Pablo Linietsky
Collaborations and Loans
Archivo Di Tella (Bullrich Collection), Archivos Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno, Architect Raúl Rivarola, Fundación Clorindo Testa, Centro de la Documentación e Investigación de la Arquitectura Pública (CeDIAP, AABE), Estudio MSGSSV, Sociedad Central de Arquitectos (SCA)
Universidad Torcuato Di Tella
President: Juan José Cruces
Vice President: Juan Gabriel Tokatlian
School of Architecture and Urban Studies
Dean: Marcelo Faiden
Executive Director: Florencia Medina
Undergraduate Architecture Program
Director: Ricardo Fernández Rojas
Director of the Design and Planning Area: Mariano Clusellas
Director of the Basic Sciences, Technology, Production, and Management Area: Martín Torrado
Director of the Architecture Program's History and Theory Area: Claudia Shmidt
Director of the Architecture Program's Communication and Form Area: Diego Arraigada
Center for Contemporary Architecture Studies
Director: Javier Agustín Rojas
Di Tella Architecture Archive
Director: Isabella Moretti
Master’s Program in History and Culture of Architecture and the City
Director: Jorge Francisco Liernur
Architecture and Technology Program
Coordinator: Francisco Cadau
Landscape Architecture Program
Coordinator: Juan Pablo Porta
Heritage Preservation and Conservation Program
Coordinator: Fabio Grementieri
Coordination Team
School Coordination: Carolina Telo
Undergraduate Coordination: Carolina Koen
Graduate Coordination: Emilia Couto
School Assistant: Brenda Ucciferri
This article was written by Agustina Iñiguez. The translation is powered by AI.
