Quito-based architectural studio Al Borde has completed the Yuyarina Pacha Community Library in Huaticocha. This small community is located in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon. “Yuyarina Pacha” translates as “Space-Time to Think” in Kichwa, a Quechuan language of Ecuador and Colombia. The library’s thatched structure is a sublime expression of local culture and building techniques.
In 2019, Sarawarmi Laboratorio Creativo (Creative Laboratory) and Witoca, a coffee lab and roasters in Huaticocha, established the pilot for a non-formal education project with the area’s local children. A reading club to begin with, it swiftly evolved into a space that provided various opportunities for learning.
“The library and reading club are more than just a place to look at books,” says Al Borde. “It is a safe space where local children can learn, play, and create.” With the reading club’s success, it outgrew its small home and a full-scale library was needed. Moreover, the community had no practical meeting space and thus the new structure would also fulfill that role.
The Yuyarina Pacha Community Library is configured across three floors (with a total area of just over 186 square meters — 2,003 square feet): The ground floor is an open space used for art and science workshops as well as informal events and gatherings. The first floor houses book collections and serves as a place for meetings. The second floor is a space where digital technology is used to store audio collections of stories that seek to preserve the community’s past — it also includes a magazine collection and a balcony reading table that overlooks the first floor.
Ground floor:
First floor:
Second floor:
Al Borde’s ideas are developed “in the making” and honed on-site. The studio’s approach to architecture invites participation from users in a project’s design and construction. Most notably, it works with the resources and techniques that are peculiar to a place, respecting local customs and traditions.
Working with organic and irregular materials requires a degree of flexibility — attaining precision in dimensions can be a challenge and the design must therefore account for variations and natural imperfections, adapting accordingly.
The library’s main structure is made with chonta — this Amazonian palm is known for its durability and strength. “For generations, traditional houses in the region have relied on chonta for construction,” says Al Borde. “It can be anchored directly into the ground without the need for waterproofing.” In its approach to this project, the studio very much champions the pragmatic value of Huaticocha’s ancestral building practices, adapting them to fit with more contemporary needs.
The building’s impressive thatched roof is characterized by its height and steep pitch, responding to the region’s rainy climate. “For the library, a glass skylight, incorporated into the ridge, provides natural overhead lighting and facilitates the construction and maintenance of the project,” says Al Borde. “The ridge of a thatched roof is the most complex part to build and requires the most care and maintenance.” (At the highest point of the structure, the ridge bears the brunt of the weather.)
Al Borde describes this community project as “a commitment to durability and self-management.” The studio adds: “The Yuyarina Pacha Community Library is not only a space for knowledge, but also a testimony to the ability of rural communities to take charge of their own development, despite being neglected by the state.”
In conclusion, the building lives in harmony with its natural surroundings and is an exceptional expression of local culture and building techniques.
Project collaborators:
María Fernanda Heredia, Melissa Narváez, and Laura Jager.
Project support:
Sarawarmi Laboratorio Creativo; Ana María Durán, “Architectures of the Collective” - Yale School of Architecture; Comunidades de Huaticocha and San José de Dahuano; Línea de Fomento de Arquitectura Vernácula and Memoria Social del INPC; Fondo Educativo de World Connect; Indimark; Crowfunding.
