This weekend marks the 90th anniversary of an emblematic construction located in the center of the city of Buenos Aires: the emblematic Safico building, witness to many morphological changes in the city. It has hosted cultural figures such as the Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda and to major media companies like the Washington Post, New York Times and BBC. He was visited by the poet Gabriel Garcia Lorca. He witnessed the construction of the Obelisk, the transformation of Corrientes Street into an avenue and the flight of the Graf Zeppelin through Buenos Aires in 1934, a year after its inauguration.

Its construction was commissioned by the Société Anonyme, Financière et Commerciale (Safico), hence its name. Its construction, begun in 1932, lasted only 10 months and was carried out under the direction of the Swiss engineer Walter Moll. She was raised in accordance with a series of municipal regulations. The first of these was the ordinance that forced new constructions in Corrientes street to be erected a few meters behind the building line, considering the expansion to turn it into an avenue, a work that could not be completed only in 1936.

With almost 93 meters of altitude, it was the tallest building until the arrival of the Kavanagh, which will be inaugurated three years later and will be for a time the tallest building in South America. Moreover, the Safico only lasted 10 months, a real record.

According to Mariela Blancoauthor of the book Legends of bricks and cobblestones, “the Safico building has established itself as a permanent witness – noble and reliable – of the 1930s. A distinguished work in the tall concrete silhouettes cut into the landscape of Buenos Aires and absolutely current. It was the first triplex in the country inhabited by various famous personalities. Among them, Pablo Neruda when he held the post of vice-consul of Chile. It is said that the dapartment 231as it was called, recorded visits from people like Federico García Lorca, who had established a great friendship with the author of Elemental odes And dusk“.

In terms of design, the Safico has a German influence and an avant-garde style: solid structures and modern technicalities. The inspiration comes from the New York towers that end up being offbeat. The gaze is cleared towards the Empire State Building, the famous skyscraper of New York.

“With a rationalist architecture and an Art Deco style (which led to it hosting the opening of the International Art Deco Congress in 2019), it marked a trend both in its infancy – by its height, its technology and its engineering – and today, with the advent of digital. access control and high-end elevators”, summary Infobae Valeria WeilCEO of the Safico building.

The building was built by the Compañía General de Obras Públicas (Geope), which was responsible for carrying out the reinforced concrete, masonry, plastering and roofing works, as well as the sanitary facilities. This company with German capital has also participated in such transcendent works as the Güemes Gallery, the Central Post Office, the National College of Buenos Aires, the Obelisk and the Boca Juniors and Racing football stadiums, among other emblematic constructions of Argentina. .

El Safico has always had a vocation for care, stability and low staff and tenant turnover. The large “family” of this building was historically made up of the main representations of international banks and news agencies such as Reuters, the German DPA, France Presse, EFE, BBC, the Financial Times, the New York Times and the Washington Post.

“Since its creation, it has seen journalists and prestigious businessmen pass by. The fact of being located in a neuralgic artery with a significant flow of means of transport has always played in favor of its reputation at the local level. And beyond the borders, he was renowned for his status, his category, his charm,” Blanco said.

It includes 3 basements, a ground floor, 10 block floors and 15 stepped tower floors. It was once a house with hotel services and offices.

Currently, different companies occupy its factories, including the Canadian-Argentina Chamber, a non-profit organization that promotes business between our country and Canada.

Also studios for professional accountants and lawyers, and commercial premises on the ground floor such as a prestigious cafeteria.

Regarding his offices, Weil summed up that “thanks to their construction, they are very comfortable, with Slavonian oak floors. The openings it currently has are airtight double glazing, which also allows maximum thermal insulation. The luminaire is LED, with a kitchen or, failing that, due to their size, they have a kitchenette and the accommodations have fire detectors”.

The building has a generator that powers all common areas, elevators and administration. The Safico offices are distinguished by their corner windows allowing light to penetrate the floors of the towers up to and including 19, their panoramic views are truly magnificent.

“In the frames and doors of the main entrance and the garage, and in the 2 columns of its splendid entrance hall on the ground floor in front of the elevators, where steel has been used, a resistant material that does not not suffer from corrosion,” Weil said.

The facade, between the sidewalk and the first floor, is covered with sheets of polished black Swedish granite. The rest of the facade up to the boundary plane is covered with “Travertine”, including the mochetas, soleas and lintels.

The Andean “Travertine” exterior cladding, resistant to atmospheric agents.

The reception hall is covered over its entire height with green onyx, with a black plinth from Belgium. The two columns of the “halle” are clad in stainless steel between the black Belgian base and the capital. The latter is also made of onyx, and serves at the same time for the diffused light of the “room”.

It has offices from 30 to 150 square meters, depending on the characteristics and location, rental values ​​are around 8 to 14 USD per m2.

They have central heating, optional parking, concierge, 24-hour surveillance, camera surveillance system and access control.

“During these 90 years, the elevators have been renovated with the aim of always maintaining the first line of technology and innovation. An investment of approximately 800,000 USD was made for this purpose; This latest model of American elevators featuring technology based on energy harvested/generated by elevators with advance call distribution can be found in other iconic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Pentagon, Burj Khalifa (Dubai ), Bshopsgate (London, England), Empire State. Building (New York), Shanghai World Financial Center (Shanghai-China) and Petronas Towers (Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia). Additionally, the Safico has an innovative facial recognition system for entry, for which $90,000 has been allocated.

Weil said, “Today, modern homes are being built that use the same concepts that Safico has had since its inception. For example, floor-to-ceiling windows to make better use of light.”

The openings in the building are made of hermetic double glazing, which also reduces noise.

Although the pandemic has affected the Microcentro, “people are going back to their workspaces today,” Weil concluded.