A cry against fear, CRIBA Building in Ecuador breaks its walls.

In the San Antonio neighborhood of the city of Ambato, where urbanization has transformed over the years from open and jovial to barricaded behind impenetrable walls due to lack of security, the CRIBA Building proposes an architectural alternative that is breathable and engaging for the community once again

Against the impenetrable walls of fear

The idea of RAMA Estudio is to "fragment the walls" both physically and symbolically, proposing a building skin made of adjustable wooden slats that allow visibility inside while ensuring security and filtering light according to needs. The project of the CRIBA Building aims to provide the city with an element that opens up to the street, gives space to the neighborhood, and allows the community to be part of it.
Seeing and being seen is part of a response to insecurity and lack of communication experienced in recent years.

The structure of the dwellings

In the three floors of the building, the dwellings are distributed, with their gravitational center located in the kitchen area, as a symbolic point of warmth in daily life; this central environment then articulates the private nighttime space and the social space of the dwelling. All apartments are equipped with a main bedroom and a second space that, thanks to movable wooden partition walls, can be used as either two separate rooms or one large unified space according to preference.

Building structure

From a construction standpoint, the building features a structure made of reinforced concrete partitions, which support the three lightweight slabs of the floors. All elements are modulated in standard panel and formwork sizes to minimize material waste and reduce construction times and costs. The partitions make up most of the internal divisions, while other divisions are raised with pressed block masonry, which reduces time, costs, and the volume of material in wall reinforcement and plaster.

Recycled Stone and Sustainable Architecture

The project, carried out by the specialized studio in sustainable architecture projects, also includes a large wall made of recycled stone from the previous building. These and other strategies have been conceived to create an efficient, practical project that reduces environmental impact. Wood and metal are the other two materials that complete the material palette: they can be found in the elements that make up the facade-filter, in the internal stairs, and in the details inside the apartments.

Gallery

PEOPLE

Rama Estudio

Quito, Ecuador