© Sebastian Crespo
- Architects: Arquitectura X
- Location: Quito, Ecuador
- Architects In Charge: Adrian Moreno, María Samaniego, María José Crespo, Juan Pablo Freire, Jorge Durán, Eva Setz
- Structural Engineer: Juan Carlos Garcés
- Client: SMC + EDECONSA
- Area: 9890.0 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Sebastian Crespo
- Construction: SMC Shubert Martínez Construcciones, EDECONSA Ecuatoriana de Construcciones S.A. Juan Carlos Rodríguez, Sebastián Martínez
- Electrical Engineering: OCTANS
- Sanitary Engineering: INSTALHID
- Mechanical Engineering: ECOAIRE
© Sebastian Crespo
Permeable living
This building proposes a possible answer to reconcile market interests with the necessity for architecture to be the tool for place making in a city, relying on permeability at all levels:
© Sebastian Crespo
Section
© Sebastian Crespo
We fragment the possible building mass, creating two main courtyards, one at the back to provide an inner facade and garden, one towards the contained cul-de-sac; we then fragment the building in section to achieve elevated double height terrace-courtyards overlapping each other.
© Sebastian Crespo
Both actions break up the border between building and city
Axonometric
The normally hermetic volume of a series of stacked apartments with private balconies becomes a permeable open form that relates apartments to each other and to the city. The city also permeates the building at different heights taking advantage of Quito´s topography and the building is totally open at street level to the quiet residential neighbourhood, changing the relationship with its surroundings as it rises to eventually reach out to the great city scape limited by the Andes.
© Sebastian Crespo
The two tree lined courtyards provide scale, shade, and quality public spaces at ground level. Trees give the same quality and character to the large terrace-courtyards which are designed for appropriate species to grow in overhanging planters.
© Sebastian Crespo