How to live on a mountain? This single-family house is located on the outskirts of the city, on a ridge that separates Quito from the adjacent valleys, the current expansion zones of the city.
The land is located on a north-south ridge that allows a privileged view to the opposite sides. To the east, the valleys of Quito and the eastern mountain range; to the west, the consolidated plateau of the city. The enjoyment of this view is interrupted by the strong winds that blow from the eastern slope, making it difficult to stand at times.
The design process of Casa Cantera began with an understanding of the topography of the site, its opportunities and its difficulties. It begins by seeking shelter and taking advantage of the views, with the main strategy being to bury itself. The house takes advantage of the slope to sink to the west and open to the east. It resolves its uses and storages in the cuts of the land, through three naves connected by a central corridor that imposes itself on the slope of the mountain.
The central corridor is located in an east-west direction and consists of two parallel stone walls that enclose a space 90 centimeters wide, from which the 3 naves project perpendicularly: the social area, the main bedroom and the complementary rooms. The circulation and the bathrooms of the house are located in this corridor.
The walls of the central corridor are broken with arches that allow movement through the house. The arches are repeated when the free space between these walls becomes insufficient for the proposed uses, increasing their width by 30 centimeters on each side and leaving enough space for toilets and sinks.
The spaces of each nave open to the east, and their storage areas are supported by the stone retaining walls on the opposite side. The roofs of these naves are made of light pine laminated wood, structures that, following the slope of the terrain, allow the wind to pass over them and open connections to the west, over the retaining walls and storages.
These buildings allow the appearance of external spaces that become places protected from strong wind currents, where vegetable gardens can be planted. The house allows the collection and storage of rainwater and has its own system for the treatment of grey and black water that nourishes the land.
The walls and retaining walls are made of stacked stones with concrete joints and a light central steel reinforcement. The floors are a continuation of the concrete foundations of the walls and retaining walls, polished and sealed; they are recessed in the bedrooms to allow the placement of eucalyptus staves that give warmth to these spaces. The rest of the enclosures are made of glass, including the roof of the central corridor, which aims to ensure that the smaller and more intimate spaces receive natural light and have a direct relationship with the sky. Each room of the house maintains its connection to the outside through glass partitions that add garden space to each room and constantly connect the house to the mountain.
Team:
Architect: Taller General
Collaborators: Cerrotecec, Las Manos Sucias, Sofía Arcos, Santiago León, Joaquín Cárdenas.
Structural calculation: Miguel Morales
Construction manager: Taller General
Photography: Alex Santander
