MEMORY THROUGH VOID

Project idea

Memory Through Void explores disappearance not as the loss of individual lives, but as the absence created within the collective memory of society. Instead of preserving memory through monuments or symbolic objects, the project proposes architecture itself as a medium of remembrance. By transforming physical and emotional absence into spatial experience, memory becomes something that is encountered rather than observed. Located within the former Arsenal Miguel de Azcuénaga military complex in San Miguel de Tucumán, the project treats the existing buildings as witnesses of history. Rather than reconstructing the past, it preserves its traces and reveals them through new spatial interventions, proposing that memory is preserved by making absence spatially perceptible.

Project description

The proposal is organized around two complementary spatial sequences. The first is the Memorial Route, beginning within a new timber framework integrated with the existing barracks. Derived from the structural rhythm and roof typology of the historic buildings, the framework preserves the barracks while creating a sequence of carved voids that guide visitors toward the underground memorial. Inspired by the spatial character of Galpón 9, the underground journey unfolds through darkness, compression, light, water, and silence before culminating in a direct confrontation with Galpón 9 and the preserved mass grave site. The second sequence is the Active Memory Route, organized around an amphitheater and a concert hall positioned on the same level. While the memorial route encourages reflection, the active route transforms memory into a shared public experience through cultural events, allowing remembrance to remain part of everyday civic life.

Technical information

The project is based on the adaptive reuse and preservation of the existing military complex. The historic barracks, Galpón 9, and the mass grave site remain protected as primary heritage elements. New interventions are clearly distinguishable from the existing fabric through a reversible timber structural framework derived from the rhythm and roof typology of the barracks. The underground memorial is constructed as a reinforced concrete structure integrated into the topography, using natural daylight introduced through linear openings to define the spatial sequence. A shallow water basin forms the central reflective space of the memorial route. Throughout the project, new architectural interventions remain secondary to the existing historical structures, ensuring that the site's authenticity and collective memory are preserved while accommodating contemporary public use.

Documentation

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