In my role as a designer and project director at the Rambla studio in CONSCA+, I had the opportunity to participate in the restoration and repurposing of a historic property located at the corner of Gascón and Güemes in Mar del Plata. This project was a significant challenge: integrating elements of neocolonial heritage with contemporary interventions, seeking to create a harmonious dialogue between the old and the new.

The phrase by Le Corbusier, “Architecture is the wise, correct, and magnificent play of volumes under light,” deeply resonated with my approach to this intervention. I incorporated a modern glass structure, a glass box that unified the heritage volumes, not only connecting the spaces visually but also highlighting the historic volumetry of the building, providing transparency and luminosity. This glass box serves as a bridge between the past and the present, allowing the building to breathe through its original forms and offering a new architectural narrative.

The dialogue between the old and the new was essential. The glass box presents itself as a “silent element” that frames the original features of the building without competing with them. As Louis Kahn stated, “Architecture is about what time leaves.” With this design, the historic elements became the protagonists, allowing light to penetrate and reveal the richness of the original shapes while accommodating a new functional use.

The challenge was both technical and conceptual. Rafael Moneo said that “Architecture can rewrite history,” and my goal was precisely that: to rewrite the history of this property, which was in advanced decay, without erasing the traces of its past and giving it a new use that would revitalize the neighborhood and the community.

Preserving heritage does not mean keeping it static; it means giving it new life. Norman Foster asserted, “As architects, we have a responsibility to bring back to life what was once an abandoned space,” and in this project, we achieved the unification of the old and the new, integrating the historical architecture with the functional requirements of a new commercial use. The glass box was the perfect vehicle for achieving this integration.

For me, this project represented a unique challenge. Facing a building steeped in history and making it relevant in the present requires not only technical skill but also great sensitivity to what those walls represent. Tadao Ando said, “The success of architecture depends on its ability to touch emotions,” and my goal at every stage of the process was to respect that capacity of the building to continue evoking emotions and telling its story, now in a new light, where the glass box acts as a connecting thread between what was and what is.