Pelli Clarke & Partners completes Lola Mora Cultural Centre in Argentina

Pelli Clarke & Partners has completed the Lola Mora Cultural Centre in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, a museum dedicated to the late artist Lola Mora. The project is significant as the final building led by the studio's founder, César Pelli, who died in 2020. Sited on a forested hillside, the building features a teardrop-shaped main structure with a bridge crossing a ravine, and three stone-clad auxiliary structures housing restaurants, libraries, and gift shops. The design blends space-age aesthetics with organic modernism, using white walls, glass, and rough-hewn stone. The centre is designed to be net-zero energy, generating all its power on-site via photovoltaic panels and wind turbines in a central tower. It houses six monumental sculptures by Mora in a gallery with floor-to-ceiling glass, plus smaller works in a light-controlled interior space. The landscaping was designed by Balmori Associates, founded by César Pelli's late wife, Diana Balmori. Rafael Pelli, partner at the studio, noted the personal significance of the project, as his father was born in northwestern Argentina and admired Mora's work. This is the studio's first cultural building in the country. The project credits include the Government of the Province of Jujuy as client, with Susana La Porta Drago as partner in charge and Axel Zemborain as design team leader.