Zona Franca del Plata is an ambitious timber-framed architectural project located in Colonia del Sacramento (a city in southwestern Uruguay, on the Río de la Plata estuary), which aims to boost the local economy. It is Uruguay’s first coastal free trade zone.
Colonia del Sacramento, a historic city and the oldest in the country, is a strategic crossroads thanks to its proximity to the Argentine capital. Located just 50 km as the crow flies from Buenos Aires (1 hour 10 minutes by ferry), it constitutes a key entry point for regional and national economic development, thus attracting numerous multinational companies.
Zona Franca del Plata: a future economic and sustainable hub. This project aims to become an investment and development center for the Uruguayan coast. It is designed to attract companies from the technology, financial, and international trade sectors, with the anticipated creation of over 1,000 jobs in the region.
Combining innovation, sustainability and energy efficiency, this first building is LEED certified thanks in particular to the use of ecological materials such as wood and a design adapted to its environment.
This modern infrastructure includes a 4-story wooden building (R+4) structured around a concrete core, with dimensions of 65.4 m long, 34.2 m wide and 16.5 m high (2240 ​​m² SdP).

A technical challenge due to its coastal location, the project was designed to address the specific climatic conditions of this area: temperature variations, sometimes unstable soils, humidity, and exposure to salt spray. These constraints required specific expertise from our engineering and design offices, right from the design-build phase, to guarantee performance and durability.
This project embodies a successful collaboration between Europe and Latin America, uniting know-how and innovation to promote sustainable construction, with wood as the central material.