Tag: al-borde | ArchDaily

40+ Contemporary Architectural Works Across Ecuador Captured by Francesco Russo and Luca Piffaretti

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

Between 2023 and 2024, photographers Francesco Russo and Luca Piffaretti documented architecture and landscapes across Ecuador's coast, the Andes Mountains, the Amazon rainforest, the Galápagos Islands, and cities such as Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca. The photographic documentation explores Ecuador's evolving identity through its contemporary architecture, examining how it engages with natural surroundings, urban conditions, and social contexts. The resulting archive includes more than 40 projects by renowned local practices such as Al Borde, Durán & Hermida, Emilio López, José María Sáez, La Cabina de la Curiosidad, MCM+A, Natura Futura, and RAMA Estudio, among many others. The selection demonstrates how architecture can create high-quality spaces that respond to contemporary demands for sustainability and environmental responsibility by combining creativity and technology with renewable resources, despite ongoing economic, climatic, and political challenges in Latin America and beyond.

Architectures of the Gaze: 25 Viewpoints to Experience the Landscape

Camilla Ghisleni — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Viewpoints are structures designed for observing the landscape from elevated vantage points. Situated in the midst of nature or within the urban landscape, they function as devices that organize the gaze and establish a direct relationship between the body and the territory. Along this boundary between observer and landscape, viewpoints can take on various configurations, from subtle gestures to monumental structures, always in response to their context. Regardless of scale, they are—to some extent—attempts to domesticate vastness: precise frames that render legible what might otherwise feel overwhelming without mediation.

The 100 Best Latin American Houses of 2025

Susanna Moreira & Valentina Díaz — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Each year, the ArchDaily Curatorial team reviews the projects that resonated most with our readers, identifying the architectural trends and design approaches that captured the greatest attention throughout the year. Across our local sites – ArchDaily Brasil and ArchDaily en Español – residential architecture remains the most popular category, with projects built in Latin America standing out year after year.

Architecture in Ecuador: 16 Projects Rooted in Territory, Craft, and Collective Practice

Daniela Andino — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Between the Andes, the coast, and the Amazon, Ecuador's architecture has evolved as a reflection of its layered geography, a place where climate, topography, and culture unite. Throughout the territory, architecture has been an act of adaptation: from vernacular traditions rooted in collective labor and local materials to the colonial and modernist influences that reshaped its cities. This diversity has produced distinct constructive systems, from bamboo and cane structures along the coast to earth and stone constructions in the Andes, forming an archive of adaptive design that continues to influence contemporary practice.

Time-Space to Read, Gather, and Care: 7 Community Libraries in Remote and Peripheral Settings

Miwa Negoro — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 06:30:00 +0000

In many parts of the world, remoteness is not only defined by distance. It may describe a mountain settlement far from infrastructure or an urban and suburban neighborhood on the margins of visibility and opportunity. Across these diverse contexts, the library has been one of the most vital typologies—a space where architecture embodies the modes of accessibility, inclusivity, and community care.

7 Latin American Architecture Firms that Achieve More with Less

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Young Latin American architecture firms are changing paradigms in the field by promoting a new approach to the profession's role in society. Their innovative explorations, driven by risk-taking, emerge from a deep emotional connection and thorough understanding of their context. They draw inspiration from local elements like geography, materials and available resources. With their unique identities, these firms move away from the still-prevalent modernist legacy, presenting authentic and innovative solutions to tackle contemporary challenges.

Rural Lab: Latin America's Countryside as a Space for Experimentation

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000

What if the future of architecture lies not in the cities, but beyond them? For decades, urbanization has dominated both discourse and statistics. We are constantly bombarded with data confirming the prevalence of urban life, but we rarely ask the opposite question: what did those who moved to the cities leave behind? What remains alive and evolving far from urban centers?

Crossing Hemispheres: Thatched Roofs from America to Asia

Susanna Moreira — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Thatching is a traditional building technique that has been reinterpreted in different ways in contemporary projects, allowing its value to continue to endure over time. As well as being a culturally and historically valuable technique, given its presence in humanity for centuries, it also has a number of other constructive advantages, such as its great environmental value, as it is an accessible renewable material.

Residential Architecture in Ecuador: 8 Contemporary House Projects That Respect Their Natural Surroundings

Paula Pintos — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Ecuador, though a relatively small country in terms of land area, boasts a vast and diverse range of ecosystems and natural landscapes, including the Andes mountains, the Pacific coastline, and the Amazon rainforest. This makes the natural environment a key player, shaping its relationship with the built environment and demanding that architecture seamlessly integrate with and respect its context.

Beyond Green Architecture: 5 Middle Eastern Projects Redefining Landscape Design

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Landscape architecture has traditionally been associated with lush greenery, rooted in the historical development of gardens and parks as spaces that bring nature into urban areas. This connection to greenery is deeply ingrained in the origins of the field, where the creation of verdant retreats was seen as both aesthetically pleasing and beneficial to human well-being. However, in regions like the Middle East, where water scarcity and harsh climates are more prevalent, there is a growing trend toward using local materials such as sand, stone, minerals, and indigenous plants. This shift reflects a more sustainable approach, reimagining landscape architecture to align with the environmental and cultural contexts of the region.

The Beauty of Impermanence: Exploring Adaptive Architecture from the Global South at the 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Inaugurated on November 11, 2023, and running until March 10, 2024, the Sharjah Architecture Triennial serves as a metaphor drawing attention to the design and technological innovations within the built environment, particularly in the global south. The exhibition features contributions from 29 architects and studios spanning 25 countries. Building upon Venice's global platform for experimentation at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, the 2023 Triennial embarks on a similar journey, creating space for voices and discussions often overlooked in global exhibitions and unveiling elements that have long existed but remained unseen. With a keen awareness of the global south, but also of the global north, and an understanding of the polarities between them, as articulated by curator Tosin Oshinowo, this second edition of the exhibition focuses on "The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability."

Architecture Philanthropy re:arc institute Announces the 2023–24 Grants, Practice Lab Collaborators, and Initiatives

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Copenhagen-based philanthropic association re:arc institute has announced the cohort of nonprofit organizations, people, and practices they will support throughout 2024. The organization founded in 2022 works at the intersection of climate action and architectural philanthropy, aiming to support the development of solutions that address the root causes and consequences of climate change.

"Building With Living Trees": The Story Behind Casa Jardín, in Quito, Ecuador

Fabian Dejtiar — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Today is the premiere of the first episode of a new documentary series that explores the projects of Al Borde. Titled "Building with Living Trees", this first instalment highlights the stories behind Casa Jardín (Garden House), a single-family home located in the suburban area of Quito, Ecuador.

Documentary Premiere: Building with Living Trees / Al Borde

Fabian Dejtiar — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 02:30:00 +0000

On Wednesday, August 23, the first episode of the new documentary series that explores the projects of Al Borde will be released. "Building with living trees", immerses itself in the stories of the Garden House, a single-family house located in the suburban area of the city of Quito.

First Participants Announced for 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 11 May 2023 05:30:00 +0000

The 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial (SAT) will take place from November 11th, 2023 to March 10th, 2024, under the theme "The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability". Focusing on how scarcity in the Global South has led to a culture of re-use, re-appropriation, innovation, collaboration, and adaptation, the second edition of the architectural exhibition, curated by Tosin Oshinowo, aims to shift global conversations towards creating a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future.

Ecuadorian Document Captures Emerging Trend Characterized by Conscious Use of Local Resources

Pola Mora — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 12:00:00 +0000

In recent years Ecuadorian architecture has been producing interesting concepts that are characterized by high standard design outcomes based on the conscious use of local resources. This type of practice is led by a generation that puts collective work and social values above individualities, in order to develop a "do a lot with little" style of architecture.