Excerpt: A Lodging in the Pigüe by Mestizo Estudio Arquitectura is conceived from the dream of preserving what was first and what it is now, as an act of respect toward Mother Nature. Immersed in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the design aligns contemporary learnings with vernacular logic, using recycled and natural materials to create a place for rest and direct connection with the territory, where a living Pigüe tree inhabits the architecture itself.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] The dream of preserving what was first, and what it is now, as an act of respect and good augury towards and with Mother Nature by Pablo, its owner, is the background that initiates the assignment. A few kilometers from the central village in the “El Calvario” community, Pastaza province – Ecuador, the family decides to embark on a project capable of offering a recreational experience intended as a place for rest, relaxation, and direct connection with an Amazonian natural environment.
Within the family lot, covering approximately 2.5 hectares, Pablo envisions the lodging project site over a ravine located to the southeast of the area where wildlife converges, seeking to be part of it. The resources available to the family, including both recycled materials (metal pipes from the oil industry, welded mesh, rods) and natural materials (rocks, wood, bamboo), guide the project’s development.
The revaluation of cultural ancestry, common sense, and awareness towards and with the territory we inhabit leads us to align contemporary learnings with vernacular actions and logic, manifested in architecture guided by artisanal hands.
The lodging is arranged horizontally over the ravine, allowing a large Pigüe tree to continue inhabiting the space, now within it, surrounded by lush, humid jungle. Its support is maintained by a row of recycled pipe piles, preserving its infrastructure against humidity, protecting and safeguarding springs, facilitating the installation of bio-filters for wastewater treatment, and accommodating the natural space by supporting the slope.
The covering is crafted with natural and recycled materials, including fragmented rocks and fillings in welded mesh formwork, wooden pieces, and bamboo to cover the flooring, combined with wooden and glass panels delimit service and rest areas, all while maintaining a connection with its natural exterior habitat and providing adequate interior comfort.
Its roof extends in a way that ensures protection against the region’s heavy rains and winds. The Pigüe tree carefully crosses through the roof, allowing its trunk to remain moist and thereby preserving its living biotic microsystem.
This approach demonstrates thoughtful possibilities for intervening in sensitive natural environments, identifying and reconsidering the potentialities of the place. It is a lodging immersed in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, where a living Pigüe tree resides inside, capable of bringing and attracting life with it.
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