Architecture Firm: El Sindicato Arquitectura
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook and Instagram: @elsindicatoarquitectura
Authors: Nicolás Viteri – María Mercedes Reinoso – Xavier Duque
Collaboration: Laura Vaca
Location: Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
Completion Year: 2022
Covered Area: 70 m²
Constructed Area: 45 m²
Photography: Andrés Villota / @andres.v.fotografìa
Illustration: El Sindicato Arquitectura, Laura Vaca
As in most rehabilitations, the premise of this project was to solve problems and adapt the construction to use more in line with the owner’s searches.
Its main habitability problem: the constant humidity on the walls that could not be solved in any of the previous interventions carried out in the place and that has been damaging all the finishes and furniture that have been in close proximity.
We decided to carry out simple actions that use the problem to give character to the project, first, remove the multiple finishes and sealants that the brick wall had, which in search of solving the humidity ended up increasing the problem. By removing these temporary moisture barriers, we allow the walls to breathe and the humidity to follow its course… inwards.
To avoid the problems that this could cause, we decided to separate all furniture and walls from these internal facades and create a continuous planter, which thanks to abundant vegetation controls the humidity of the house, in the same way, we opened a continuous skylight on the roof that controls excess humidity on these facades and provides natural lighting for the plants.
Regarding the redistribution of the space, we decided to relocate the bathroom; first, because it was located at one end of the project, which meant that to access it you had to go through the entire house, limiting the privacy of each space. Second, because it occupied a large part of the only existing façade and limited both the entry of natural lighting and ventilation, as well as the relationship of the interior space with the abundant nature of the place, something of vital importance for the owner.
The bathroom starts to function as a centralized nucleus that segregates the activities according to the level of privacy they require, to one side, the bedroom, and to the other, the kitchen, dining room, living room and outdoor terrace. Everything in relation to the nature of the exterior and the new continuous strip of interior vegetation.
