Floralis Genérica and Stainless Steel Petals

Why is it significant?

Standing before the tranquil reflective pool in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, you gaze upon one of the most iconic and futuristic civic symbols of modern Buenos Aires: the Floralis Genérica.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Standing before the tranquil reflective pool in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, you gaze upon one of the most iconic and futuristic civic symbols of modern Buenos Aires: the Floralis Genérica. Gifted to the city by visionary Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano and unveiled on April 13, 2002, this monumental kinetic sculpture rises twenty-three meters above the water. Crafted from eighteen metric tons of polished stainless steel and aerospace-grade aluminum, the flower represents all the flowers of the world, symbolizing eternal rebirth, hope, and the harmonious cycle of nature.

Look closely at the giant hydraulic pistons inside the central stamen: this colossal sculpture was engineered to open and close its six massive metallic petals automatically.

Built with technical collaboration from the aircraft manufacturing company Lockheed Martin Argentina, the sculpture uses an automated electrical and hydraulic system guided by photocells. Every morning at dawn, the six giant petals slowly unfurl outward across thirty-two meters of diameter, welcoming the pampean sunrise and reflecting the sky, park trees, and passing clouds in their mirror-polished surfaces. At sunset, the petals gently fold inward toward the center, closing for the night while red interior floodlights illuminate the metallic calyx from within. On four special commemorative nights each year—the solstices of summer and winter, and the equinoxes of spring and autumn—the petals remain fully open overnight. The surrounding four-acre park provides a tranquil oasis where students, joggers, and families picnic beside the gentle ripples of the reflecting pond.

Watching the silver petals gleam against the deep blue Buenos Aires sky, reflecting urban greenery and towering faculties, is an unforgettable celebration of public art and modern aeronautical engineering. As the evening breeze ripples across the pool, the flower seems to breathe with the rhythm of the surrounding metropolis.

Walk southeast across the park footbridge toward the monumental Greek columns of the UBA Faculty of Law.