City: san-vicente-de-huaticocha | ArchDaily

Witoca Laboratory / Al Borde

Andreas Luco — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Instead of urbanizing the jungle, deforesting for monoculture, or creating untouchable conservation zones, there is another option: the chakra, a Kichwa concept that is, above all, an ancestral model of agroecology based on high biodiversity. This land-use and management model achieves the dual goal of conserving the ecosystem while producing within it. Witoca chose this strategic approach to foster social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The project is located in the community of Huaticocha, in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Yuyarina Pacha Community Library / Al Borde

Andreas Luco — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Yuyarina Pacha means 'Space-Time to Think' in Kichwa. This project is located in the community of Huaticocha, in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 2019, the Laboratorio Creativo Sarawarmi and Witoca, an agricultural association focused on coffee in the community of Huaticocha started a pilot non-formal education project with local children. What began as a reading club quickly evolved into a space for holistic learning. The library and reading club are more than just a place to look at books; they are a safe space where local children can learn, play, and create.