This diploma thesis focuses on the design of Arsenal Memory Park and the Memory Center in the northern part of San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. The project addresses the transformation of the extensive former military site known as Arsenal, which is associated with the period of the Argentine military dictatorship, an illegal detention facility, and the discovery of a mass grave of the regime’s victims. The aim of the proposal is to transform this long inaccessible and historically burdened area into a publicly accessible urban and landscape complex that connects memory, education, culture, community life, and everyday use of the city.
The urban concept is based on the main axis called the Path of Memory, which connects the memorial site, the preserved Galpón 9 building, the Memory Square, the new Memory Center, and the adjoining residential structure. The proposal combines a quiet landscape park in the southern part of the site with a new residential district in the north. The Memory Center is designed as a restrained and open cultural and educational institution containing a museum, gallery, administrative facilities, a café, and public spaces.
The project emphasizes respect for the historical significance of the site, preservation of existing vegetation, rainwater management, shading, energy efficiency, and sustainable technical solutions for the building. The proposal demonstrates how architecture and urban design can contribute to the sensitive regeneration of a place burdened by a traumatic past while creating a new public space that supports social reflection, education, and community life.