Dominga was conceived on a 1,000 sqm parcel characteristic of contemporary residential developments in Puembo, on the outskirts of Quito. Two decades ago, this area had yet to face the density and transformation brought by current urban expansion. It was defined by a semi-rural character—rammed earth walls, artisanal clay brickmakers firing their products in traditional kilns—elements that have steadily disappeared under the pressure of development. In historical terms, the site holds a lot of memories.
The client’s brief called for a residence with three bedrooms and all the complementary spaces required for comfortable living—nothing beyond the conventional. The project’s distinction arose from two parallel intentions: first, to approach the design through a territorial lens that honours what is vanishing from the local landscape; and second, to shape the home through the intimate lens of its future occupants and their personal histories.
Dominga was envisioned as a retreat for a young family expecting their third member. Yet the design process became a collective endeavour, with the maternal grandmother, mother, and other family members contributing at various stages. The result is a home deeply interwoven with family memory.
Architecturally, the house is an exploration of the dialogue between traditional and contemporary construction systems—a search for the present that consciously engages with the past, mirroring the owners’ own family narrative. The spatial and volumetric composition is layered with contrasts: tall, opaque clay volumes evoke traditional Andean architecture and the region’s disappearing brick kilns, while a continuous perimeter ring, cantilevered and ultra-light, frames both the interior and the surrounding landscape. This latter element employs contemporary building systems emblematic of present-day construction.
The volumetric composition itself serves as an allegory for the creation of a new family and their home. The encircling ring that binds the interior spaces is a symbol of unity—a softened white plane that provides both visual and solar protection for the spaces within. Above, second-floor volumes, framed in lightweight steel yet clad in solid fired clay bricks and handmade tiles, stand as individual expressions of each family member’s uniqueness.
Materiality remains restrained and purposeful: polished concrete flooring, reinforced concrete structure on the ground level, and steel structure for the upper floor. Masonry walls are composed of handmade clay bricks and reclaimed roof tiles sourced from local artisans who retained small, unsold batches.
Dominga is ultimately a tribute—to the memory of a place and to the continuity of family heritage. In a moment in history when contemporary culture is often shaped by globalised ideals, this project is a deliberate return to what is essential and enduring.
