(b Buenos Aires, 14 Nov 1913). Argentine architect. He studied architecture at the University of Buenos Aires, graduating in 1937 with two gold medals and the Ader Scholarship, which enabled him to spend a year studying architecture in Europe. He joined the Ministry of Public Works and then became Municipal Architect at Avellaneda (1942–7); he established his own office in Buenos Aires in 1947. Alvarez became one of the most prolific and successful architects in Latin America, winning first prize in a large number of competitions and building a great number of works. His designs were based on a rationalist approach, developing consciously simple structural form in the manner of Mies van der Rohe; his goal was to produce functional buildings utilizing modern technology and efficient workmanship, allowing for flexibility and change and contributing to the quality of the environment. Important works include the Medical Centre (1936–7) at San Martín; the Roncatti Restaurant (1938), Pergamino; the San Martin Cultural Centre (1953–60), Corrientes; the IBM building (1979–83), Catalinas Norte; the Alto Palermo flats and shopping centre (1983–6), Buenos Aires; and many other health centres, stadia, multi-storey blocks of flats and office buildings. His persistent hard work over several years resulted in the extension of the Municipal Theatre (1953) at San Martín into the most important cultural centre of Buenos Aires. His interest in technology was revealed in his work on the Santa Fé–Paraná River Tunnel (1965), Entre Rios Province, which experiments with prefabricated construction techniques, and his design for the Somisa Headquarters (1966), Buenos Aires, was the first building in Argentina to be built entirely of steel and the first in the world to be entirely welded.

• Alvarez, Mario Roberto
  • Argentina, §II, 3: Architecture, after c 1920