The curved forms of the building, designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, follow the topography and embrace the existing grove. The center sits on a 1.3-hectare site, with gardens designed by Balmori Associates, the landscape architecture firm founded by Diana Balmori, wife of César Pelli. The project places special emphasis on the conservation and strengthening of the ecosystem, where the architecture weaves itself among the existing native trees and minimizes its impact on the land.
Its silhouette begins modestly as a bridge spanning the ravine and ascends westward, where a wide convex façade, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a cantilevered roof, allows the sculptures to be appreciated against a verdant backdrop and offers views of the city, the valley, and the mountains. In addition to the main exhibition hall, the building includes an interpretation center, a restaurant, a media library, a gift shop, and a multipurpose space, or workshop, intended to host visiting artists and temporary exhibitions.
Lola Mora Cultural Center by Pelli Clarke & Partners. Photograph by Jason O’Rear.
Lola Mora Cultural Center by Pelli Clarke & Partners. Photograph by Jason O’Rear.
“We approached the project as a process of discovery and, above all, as the art of knowing how to listen: to the site; to the client; to the engineers, builders, and craftspeople, whose knowledge shapes what can be built; and to the community, which we hope will find here a renewed sense of identity and connection to its history.”
Susana La Porta Drago, who was the partner in charge of the project at Pelli Clarke & Partners.
The center brings together, for the first time in more than a century, six monumental neoclassical works carved in Carrara marble by Lola Mora. Originally commissioned for the Palace of the Argentine National Congress in Buenos Aires for its inauguration in 1906, the sculptures were removed fifteen years later and donated to the province of Jujuy. After standing exposed to the elements for over a hundred years, the six allegorical works — The Lions, Liberty, Progress, Work, Peace, and Justice — are now displayed in the Lola Mora Cultural Center, a space conceived specifically to house them and honour the artist’s legacy.
Lola Mora Cultural Center by Pelli Clarke & Partners. Photograph by Jason O’Rear.
The building’s horizontal form is contrasted by a vertical tower that signals the cultural center’s presence from afar and houses five wind turbines. Together with other on-site renewable-energy sources—photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors for hot water—the building generates 100% of its energy needs. A high-performance building envelope and state-of-the-art mechanical systems reduce energy consumption by 23%.
Lola Mora Cultural Center by Pelli Clarke & Partners. Photograph by Jason O’Rear.
The center also features a rainwater-harvesting system for irrigation where small dams located across the ravine slow runoff, mitigating erosion and helping preserve the surrounding ecosystem. A significant portion of materials, including the building's stone cladding, is locally sourced, reducing the transportation-related impacts while supporting regional economic development. The project is pursuing LEED Gold certification.
