Extension of an existing traditional residence in San Juan de Cumbayá, Ecuador.

Following the requirement for a simple program consisting of a bedroom with a sleeping area, a living space, and a bathroom, together with an implantation determined by a highly uneven, vegetation-rich site and the necessary relationship with the existing house, we had the opportunity to experiment with construction techniques and materiality.

For the execution of the project, we developed a hybrid structural system focused on the use of load-bearing stone and brick walls on the buried façades, resulting from the excavation required to match the levels of the existing residence; load-bearing brick walls on the exposed façades, where a high degree of privacy was required due to their immediate relationship with the existing house; and simple solid-wood columns resting on a stone plinth along the semi-exposed façade, which faces and takes advantage of the site’s abundant vegetation. The structure is topped by a concrete and timber ring beam that unifies the four façades and supports a lightweight roof made of solid timber framing with an insulated cavity.

For the load-bearing walls, we applied a reinforced cavity wall technique. For the buried walls, we used a 20–30 cm thick outer stone face, a 4–6 cm reinforced-concrete cavity at the center, and an inner brick face. For the exposed walls, the same 4–6 cm reinforced cavity was used between two brick faces.

The reinforced cavity technique allowed us to eliminate columns and use the masonry itself as formwork for casting the reinforced cavity. It also helped reduce the slenderness of such a thin concrete wall while simultaneously serving as the finished surface.

The simple solid-wood columns are anchored to a stone plinth that bridges the difference in level between the interior floor and the natural terrain outside. This point-structure system was used to preserve broad views toward the surrounding vegetation.

As a result, the project seeks to remain understated within its natural setting, focusing instead on the experience and sensation that the landscape generates when inhabiting the space.