Architectural Tour Argentina & Uruguay
November 2026

Foundations and Facades

Arrival in Montevideo

We begin the trip with a first look at the city’s architectural layers, starting in the historic center introducing the grid plan of Ciudad Vieja and revival-era monuments such as the eclectic Palacio Salvo and the neoclassical Teatro Solís.

Uruguayan Modernism and International Echoes

Day two explores Montevideo’s modernist legacy across civic, educational, and residential buildings. The itinerary highlights Uruguayan figures like Eladio Dieste, Román Fresnedo Siri, and Héctor Vigliecca, alongside international influences such as I.M. Pei.

Ceramic Curves and Coastal Contrasts

East of Montevideo, the coastal town of Atlántida is home to one of Eladio Dieste’s most iconic works: the Parroquia del Cristo Obrero, a poetic exploration of structure, rhythm, and material using his technique of "reinforced ceramics." The day concludes with a drive along the coast to Punta del Este, where modernist villas and seaside buildings reflect Uruguay’s long-standing dialogue between leisure, landscape, and design.

Contemporary Interventions and Rural Transitions

The final day in Uruguay begins with a look at recent architectural work with examples of Montevideo’s growing interest in adaptive reuse. In the afternoon, we leave the capital and travel west to Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO-listed site that blends colonial layers with coastal calm.

Crossing Waters, Shifting Contexts

This transition day links Uruguay and Argentina, beginning in the historic town of Colonia del Sacramento before crossing the vast estuary of the Río de la Plata by ferry. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we continue by plane to Mendoza.

Transfer to Mendoza

Bodegas - Wineries: Design, Setting, and Culture of the Vineyard

Across Mendoza’s valleys, a new generation of wineries has reshaped the landscape—pairing bold architectural ideas with the rituals of wine tasting and hospitality. We visit a selection of estates where design plays a central role—framing views, guiding light, and elevating the connection between visitor and vineyard.

Transfer to Buenos Aires

Modernism in the Desert City

Our second day in Mendoza explores the city’s central district, where 20th-century civic buildings sit within an urban grid shaped by light, landscape, and irrigation. We also visit the Faculty of Architecture, a striking brutalist complex designed by Enrico Tedeschi.

City Origins and Urban Icons

To understand Buenos Aires is to understand its structure. This first day in the capital explores how the city was shaped—from colonial foundations and republican symbolism to the grand urban projects of the 20th and 21st centuries. Walking through the historic center we map civic and cultural shifts across plazas, avenues, and monuments.

Power, Migration, and Cultural Fabric

This day traces Buenos Aires through its moments of economic, social, and cultural transformation. We explore the Retiro district, where the city’s banking power and elite residences left a legacy of striking architecture, such as the brutalist Banco de Londres by Clorindo Testa. We also visit the divers neighborhood of La Boca, long shaped by waves of immigration and working-class history.

The University and tCity Parks

We visit the university campus and the evocative Parque de la Memoria, an open-air memorial and landscape intervention that commemorates the victims of Argentina’s dictatorship era.

Modern Threads Through the Urban Fabric

Our final day is anchored in four emblematic neighborhoods: Recoleta, Palermo, Colegiales, and Chacarita. Along the way, we encounter Clorindo Testa’s monumental Biblioteca Nacional, the Planetarium’s mid-century modernist optimism and two contrasting cemeteries—Recoleta’s neoclassical grandeur and Chacarita’s subterranean brutalism—marking the temporal and spatial span of Buenos Aires’ evolving architectural imagination.

Departure from Buenos Aires