The Hip Roof with Eaves and without Ridge

A luxury mall in La Barra, Uruguay, combines the traditional with the modern in an exclusive environment.

Hi, the Falkland Islands archipelago is one of the places that I visit frequently, it was inevitable put one of its islands in the list of possible locations where I will construct my future building, the selected is (drum roll...) the Bourbon Island or Pebble Island, as the locals call it have two monuments that recall the Falklands War: one for British and one for Argentines.

If there is something missing from today's world is the constructive criticism, this is something that the famous actor Mario Fortino Alonso Moreno Reyes (Cantinflas) did very well in his movies, and in his real life, my favorite movie is "The sweeper" where he plays a character named Napoleon. But Cantinflas has nothing to do with the building that I bring you today, in fact, is not only a building, is a grouping of them with an exquisite uniqueness which, I am sure, you will love.

The Fifteenth Stop: A Shopping Center in La Barra

The Netzaj company, promoter of this building complex, had a great idea when they invited me to the opening of the first Shopping Center (Centro Comercial) of La Barra, Uruguay, whose name cannot be more evocative: Oh! La Barra (you like huh?). The opening was in december of last year (2014, if you read this from 2016). Honorable mention deserves the ideologist of this complex, Mr Carlos Ott, perhaps, the most international Uruguayan architect, who was able to understand what the promoters needed for this luxury leisure area.

The connoisseurs say that Ott selected noble, harmonious and environment-friendly materials, structuring architecture of lines simple and bohemian, I, Rodolfo, whose last name is as popular as the name of a historic city, am not an "expert" and I can outline my opinion in a more form abrupt and easy: I like! The complex consists of several buildings which, at different levels, is interconnected between them and make each trip unique and different, the buildings converge in a central courtyard with fountains and swings. It has 150 parkings and an exclusive parking for 50 vehicles.

The investment has already reached the $ 25 million and has 60 locals distributed in 5,000 square meters. These locals are being occupied by marks of first row such as Ralph Lauren, Gottex, Valentino, Havanna Café, Freddo, Undici. Librería El Virrey or Super Dry among others. But this is not all, they will continue building a tent for events, a cinema 6D with interactive seats and an amusement park unique in the country. The complex will culminate with a boutique hotel of 50 rooms of an international hotel chain that is yet to be decided. It is expected that the megaproject occupy a total of 15,000 square meters of surface.

Hip Roof with Eaves and without Ridges

For me, the constructive element more attractive and innovative of those buildings is its covers which, with a great success, have been designed to breaking the classic lines of a hip roof. The designer of the complex has wanted to introduce a landscaped area at the top, he has made a classic hip roof and has sectioning the cover by a horizontal plane creating the landscaped area in the process, a master cut I call it. This "master cut" not only creates the garden surface, too it raises the cover to an upper bound giving elegance and magnificence to the set.

We have, therefore, buildings with eaves and without ridge (highest cover line where converge the eaves), really, you do not can understand how excited that i was enjoying of this constructive work without paragon, even I ignored for a while to my companion Canela, the most beloved dog of this magazine, their owners still do not have forgiven me.

But this is not the only surprise that brings the cover, their edges are not terminations standard, i.e. do not end with regular edges with pipes to collect rain water, no, here the designer also has given us a joy leaving the ends of the common rafters (transverse divisions that distribute the load of the eaves to the perimeter joists) in sight. This detail gives an impression of simplicity which, together with the plants protruding from the top, evokes a constructive past integrated completely with the environment.

The nights in La Barra

I have not said it got dark in the opening of the luxury mall, see the dark skies through the large windows inscribed on the cover of the shopping centre has been one of my best gifts of Christmas, a gift in advance, of course, but gift at the end. That luck must feel the persons that live in La Barra and often enjoy this new social and commercial meeting place.

A building system that improves in time is a construction system that perpetuates the friendly legend of the construction. Bye bye.

The Green Roof

Hi, I have recently visited the Faroe Islands, you know, which are famous for the festival of hunting whales and dolphins. When I was there, I toured the only island that I had not seen yet: the island Koltur. This island is only accessible with helicopter and the landscape is completely sublime, I have spoken with the only family residing there for if I decide to build on its shores, I like that the access is only by air!!

My cousin was started me in the helicopter flight, he is aeronautical engineer; I know that you will say that you have not seen him in magazines but... he does not like the press! (he does not seem of the family) Anyway, as I said, he explained the real story of how Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel invented the autogyro, a forerunner of the helicopter, I, Rodolfo, I looked absorbed the "small" city of Vancouver when I discovered a unique cover and... How I describe it? Green! Very green!

Ninth Stop: Convention Center of Vancouver

In fact, from the air it didn't look exactly a cover, it looked a garden, a green and beautiful garden (a little crazy, true). Already, when i arrived to the city, I did was to inform me about all the details of the building. It turned out that the creators were the architecture firm LMN and that the final cost of the construction were 804 million dollars (645 million euros... not bad eh?). But... what could incite an expenditure of this caliber? A great event, of course, and this was the choice of the city of Vancouver in 2003 as a venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the year 2010.

When I spoke with some architects, they released me a litany about the seamless integration of this Convention Center of Vancouver with the environment and the city creating a seamless transition between the urban fabric, the port, the recreational activities and the nature (is that possible?). I do not doubt that they say the true, but I'll take the feeling of serenity and dynamism that generates this building inside and outside of his walls.

The building has 1.1 million square meters (almost nothing), and next to him exists parks of trails, roads for cyclists, open spaces and squares, parkings, a viaduct of six lanes for vehicles and two pedestrian walkways that connect it with the Convention Center original and a new hotel. But apart from "our garden roof" the building has several improvements that have made that it achieved the LEED Platinum of Canada and other ten Awards and national and International recognitions.

To begin with, the building is "hanging" over the water from 40 to 99% of the surface, depending on the tides, so if they formed an underwater habitat using concrete in the form of bleachers, in other words they have created an artificial reef under of the construction! With only $ 8.2 million... Incredible. To continue, a system of treatment of sewage and desalination supplies the toilets, the fountains outdoor and, of course, "our green roof", in short: everything that does not require drinking water. Finally, they utilizes a heat pump of sea water to cool or heat the building, this will cover most of the needs of heating and cooling that are capable of demanding users.

The Green roof

“Our green roof” has 6 acres (24,281 square meters) and it is not accessible for the pedestrians, although I would be lying if I tell you that I could not visit the roof... The roof reduces the gain of heat in summer up to 95% and the loss of heat in winter by 26%, and also retains rainwater through a system of channels of edges at an angle that zigzags; this creates greater opportunities for the absorption of rainwater. It has 400,000 native plants, this allows that they nest many species of birds and is home to a colony of 60,000 bees (do not touch). I was amazed to see what ready they were to use the natural cycle of herbs to combine its colors, giving a triangular composition surprising and interesting.

When we use the garden roof we improve the thermal insulation, we expel less CO2 into the atmosphere, we reduce the negative effect that can cause the strong rainfall on our roof, we insulate acoustically much better than with any other type of cover, we reduce the consumption of air conditioning and heating, and also we are an active part of the environment generating ourselves positive moods.

As unique disadvantages we can be found two: the overweight of the building, especially in the days of rain in which the substrate absorbs water and increases its weight significantly, and the demand these surfaces of constant and effective maintenance, the plants, as we said, have a cycle of concrete life.

However, although the Convention Centre of Vancouver is a spectacular building, the garden roof reach its better and greater performance in the single family dwellings (of one or two plants) because its positive effects have an impact on a higher percentage in the construction and the comfort that generate.

So you do not have any excuse not to include a garden roof in your next construction, I, for my part, I see essential. Bye bye.