Ecuador Architecture highly recognized in Paris
- Apolo Gavilanez
- Jun 15, 2022
- 8 min read
By Apolo Gavilanez
English/Spanish
HiExpat: The number one Andean city destination for North American expats looking to retire or invest in Ecuador is Cuenca. A place that is home to great cultural diversity and rich architectural history. Al Cubo Arquitectura has brought a new concept of sustainable and contemporary architecture with a mixture of ancient techniques to the city. Could you tell us a little more about this new concept of architecture?
Al Cubo: Through our work in the Historic Center of Cuenca, we were able to identify the traditional techniques with which these buildings of great architectural value, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were built. This architecture and these buildings were almost entirely lost as both citizens and construction workers made the switch from traditional techniques to the use of reinforced concrete, metal, or a combination of both for all types of buildings. Many viewed traditional techniques as expired and as a symbol of poverty or poor living conditions.
However, in our architecture studio we were able to identify that traditional techniques are much more sustainable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly. Additionally, they are more comfortable and safe for those who inhabit them since they have better insulation, regulate the humidity of the environment, and on top of it all, they confer great expressiveness to an architectural work while giving it an identity. For all these reasons we decided, after some experimentation, that we could update these traditional techniques and merge them with today's architecture. By doing this we take advantage of the benefits from both styles and that is how our "Fusion Architecture" was born, mixing the best of both past and present architecture.
HiExpat: Based on these new techniques, what are the challenges you have faced as a company when incorporating this new type of architecture?
