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.
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.
Official description:
It is a group of ninety-two summer houses organized as a small town facing the sea.
It presents a unique building with the surprising spatial features of a Mediterranean Sea town and the rigorous design methodology of contemporary architecture.
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.
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.
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.
The parking lots are arranged below the summer houses, which are located on a higher level of the plot.
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.
Details
Architects: MSGSSV
Location: Punta del Este, Uruguay
Site area: 8,000 m2
Built area: 12,000 m2
Project: 1977-1978
Completion: 1981
