Floralis Genérica
Floralis Genérica is a large sculpture in United Nations Square, Buenos Aires, gifted to the city by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano. Created in 2002, it was designed to move, with petals that close in the evening and open again in the morning. The sculpture represents a flower in stainless steel with an aluminum skeleton and reinforced concrete, rising above a reflecting pool in the center of a four-acre park. Surrounded by wooded paths that offer changing views, it weighs eighteen tons and is intended to look up toward the sky with its six petals. According to Catalano, the flower is a synthesis of all flowers and a hope reborn each day at opening.
December 2006 © Beatrice Murch · CC BY 2.0
December 2006 © Javier Kohen · CC BY-SA 2.0
December 2006 © Beatrice Murch · CC BY 2.0
March 2012 © Bleff · CC BY-SA 3.0
Identification | |
| Title | Floralis Genérica |
| Nickname | Iron Flower of Buenos Aires |
| Type | sculpture |
Historical context | |
| Creation year | 2002 |
| Inauguration date | 13 April 2002 |
| Construction authorization | Law 638/01 |
Creator | |
| Artist and designer | Eduardo Catalano |
| Creator's profession | Architect |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Donated by | Eduardo Catalano |
| Donated to | the city of Buenos Aires |
| Materials supplied by | Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina |
| Builder | Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina |
| Civil works contractor | Iezzi Hnos. |
Physical characteristics | |
| Weight | 18 tons |
| Form | large flower with six petals |
| Dimensions | 23 m high; petals 20 m high and 20 m wide |
Materials | |
| Main materials | stainless steel, aluminum, and reinforced concrete |
Technique | |
| Movement mechanism | Hydromechanical system controlled by an electrical system |
| Operation | Automatically opens and closes the petals according to time of day and wind conditions |
Appearance | |
| Orientation | Faces toward the sky |
| Night appearance | Closes at night and emits a red glow from inside |
| Special opening times | Opens every morning at 8:00 a.m.; closes at sunset, varying by season |
| Special open nights | 25 May, 21 September, 24 December, 31 December, and full moon nights |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Subject | a large flower |
| Meaning of name | According to Eduardo Catalano, 'Floralis' means belonging to flora and flowers, and 'Genérica' means it represents all flowers in the world |
| Symbolism | A synthesis of all flowers and a hope reborn each day when it opens |
Location and ownership | |
| Dedication | Homage to the city of Buenos Aires |
| Reflecting pool | 44 m diameter, 0.15 m deep; water overflows into a surrounding moat that channels it to a pumping room |
| Position relative to water | Above a reflecting pool (water mirror) |
| Setting | In the center of a four-hectare park with tree-lined borders and surrounding paths offering different viewpoints |
| Location | Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
History and restoration | |
| Mechanism status after restoration | Disabled because of its fragility |
| Original mechanism status | Authorities said it was not planned to reactivate it because it had been out of service for years and did not have guarantees of safe operation |
| Total restoration cost | 1,432,491,613 Argentine pesos (about US$1 million at the time) |
| Restoration outcome | The sculpture regained its original form |
| Last restored petal reinstalled | 8 December 2025 |
| First restored petal reinstalled | October 2025 |
| Return logistics | Transported over land to the port of Baradero, then by barge more than 150 km along the Paraná River and the Río de la Plata, then by land to Plaza de las Naciones Unidas |
| Reassembly method | Reassembled using high-strength bolts similar to those used in the aerospace industry |
| New components | New components were manufactured |
| Restoration work | Removal of aluminum coverings, removal of damaged structural pieces, cleaning, sandblasting, and non-destructive tests including optical inspection, eddy currents, and penetrant testing |
| Restoration scope | Integral restoration of the damaged petals |
| Restoration location | An industrial plant in Baradero |
| Restoration period | 2023 to 2025 |
| Damage cause | Adverse weather conditions |
| 2023 damage | A strong storm caused parts of the sculpture, including two main petals, to fall |
| 2023 damage date | 17 December 2023 |
| 2015 upgrades | LED lights and automatic sensors were added |
| Reinauguration date | 10 June 2015 |
| Repair supervisor | Engineer Salvador Sorbello, employee of the National Technological University |
| Reason for nonfunctional period | Lack of maintenance by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires; the plans were lost and the machine room had been intruded into |
| Nonfunctional period | Mid-2010 to mid-2015 |
| Electronics disabled | 2010, to prevent damage to the sculpture |
| Original operating issue resolution | Solved two months later |
| Original operating issue | At inauguration, the petals did not close due to technical problems |
Other | |
| Inscription on base wall | "Floralis Genérica / Homenaje / a la ciudad / de / Buenos Aires / Eduardo Catalano / arquitecto / abril 13 2002 / Iezzi Hnos. obra civil / Lockheed Martin Aircraft Arg. S A." |
| Inscription date | 13 April 2002 |
| Construction credit in inscription | Iezzi Hnos.; Lockheed Martin Aircraft Arg. S A. |