América Building

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1974 · Authors: Javier Díaz-Llanos, Vicente Saavedra

The high demand for housing resulting from the city's population growth, already underway in the second half of the 20th century, produced, in the urban area between La Salle and La Rambla, a set of high-density buildings. The América Building is a magnificent example of this type of architecture.

Situated on a large plot in this urban sector, the "América" was designed in 1968 by architects Javier Díaz-Llanos and Vicente Saavedra.

The main expressive element of the work is the articulation of the façade planes through the projection of the volumes corresponding to terraces, staircases and solanas. Also notable is the curious exterior cladding, made by means of a render of crushed basalt aggregate concrete. This element gives the whole complex a characteristic dark grey tone, combined with the light grey of the planters, the coloured wooden carpentry and the greenish tone of the parapet glass. 

The two tall buildings that make up the whole complex enclose a space configured as an interior square with an area for children's play and which also features a carefully selected surrounding vegetation. 

The América Building, completed in 1974, is a clear example of ingenious dual solution, both in terms of volumetric variety through the articulation of the façades and the texture of the materials used in the finish.

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