Geometric Concept:The traditional house of the Ecuadorian highlands is reinterpreted and reintroduced within a contemporary architectural context. The project is conceived as a courtyard house, recovering the essence of traditional Andean dwellings while contributing to cultural identity. The house acts as an envelope around a controlled central patio, which then opens a more organic garden and the surrounding landscape.

The main façade is experienced from within the plot, from the patio—where the house is truly lived. In contrast, the façade facing the street is austere and restrained in scale, allowing vegetation to cover and camouflage it. This vegetation consists of Andean species such as grasses, pennisetums, agapanthus, calla lilies, and Coco Combi palms, which frame the entrance.

Access is defined by an incision in the base, leading to an प्रवेश space that behaves more like a window, visually connecting through the volume toward the central patio, where an Arupo tree stands as the focal point. This creates a spatial sequence that transitions from the central courtyard to the ravine and the distant landscape. As one moves through it, the house gradually reveals itself, reflecting the life it embodies.

The house is composed of three traditional elements: base, body, and crown.

Base:Represents the grounding of the house, its connection to the terrain and slope. The volume is anchored with traditional rustic stone, using small square-format pieces (0.10 x 0.10 m), contributing to the scale and texture. The base not only supports the house but also brings it closer to the human scale. It extends into a small plaza with steps that frame the inner façade, functioning as an outdoor gathering space and a transition between exterior and interior. This plaza is bordered by two Coco Combi palms and uses andesite stone in the same format as the base.

Body: Defined by a duality in materiality. The front façade is solid, containing service spaces, while the inner façades are light and transparent, housing the served spaces and promoting spatial integration. Transparency also allows vegetation to visually and physically enter the interior. It is important to distinguish between servant spaces (circulation, kitchen, bathrooms, library) and served spaces (living rooms, dining area, and bedrooms).

Crown:A pitched roof with a simple, traditional geometry that conveys a sense of warmth and domesticity. It uses small-format handcrafted tiles with a flat, rectangular proportion based on the golden ratio. Due to the angle of the roof, these tiles create an optical effect, appearing as small squares when viewed frontally.