CASA EN LOS ANDES
Featured Ecuadorian Works 018–2024
By: María Alicia Becdach, architect.
Lead Architect: María Alicia Becdach
Studio: MAB María Alicia Becdach – Architecture & Urban Design
Construction: Diego Cueva
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Design Year: 2021
Construction Year: 2023
Site Area: 3000 m²
Built Area: 540 m²
Architectural Photography: María Alicia Becdach
The project is set in a site with dynamic topography, where the Llalo volcano stands as the main feature and its ravines define the natural boundaries.
The client requested the design of a light and distinctive house, with slender cantilevered roofs, moving away from the typical cubic form. The intention was to create a house that truly feels like a home—spacious, well-lit, and with views toward the garden from every angle, as well as a strong connection to water.
The architectural concept is based on the lightness and transparency of spaces that integrate with the surrounding natural environment, articulated through a series of lightweight, overhanging roofs that fragment the volumes. The project is experienced through a sinuous promenade, which reinforces the continuous relationship between the natural surroundings and the house. Nature becomes the protagonist, forming part of the user’s visual and sensory journey.
The volumetric composition follows a residential typology, achieved by fragmenting the massing into different heights. It features seven distinct types of roofs—linear, lightweight, and cantilevered—that define and shelter the home. The roof, in this case, becomes the symbolic essence of the house.
The roofs are suspended above a glazed belt, allowing natural light and ventilation to reach all interior spaces. The resulting architectural effect is a composition of light, floating volumes.
This fragmentation reflects the movement of the site’s dynamic topography—its mountains and ravines.
At ground level, the front façade is defined by a base of exposed concrete, which provides privacy from the street. This base is separated from the slab by a continuous glazed band, establishing the sense of lightness that characterizes the rest of the house.
The lateral and rear façades are composed of fully glazed volumes, supported by slender vertical elements.
This transparency and permeability allow the surrounding natural environment to flow into the residence.
The material palette consists of exposed concrete, wood, glass, and metal.
