Local studio Gabriel Rivera Arquitectos has designed a concrete house near Quito, Ecuador, with a large overhang and spaces designed to adapt to the diverse needs of its residents.
Known as the “Binocular House,” the 564-square-foot home is located in a residential community called Puembo. Facing west towards the city of Quito, it features a rear facade that welcomes the morning sun.
Gabriel Rivera Arquitectos designed the home during the COVID-19 pandemic, reevaluating the homes to simultaneously serve as a residence, office, school and green space – promoting family unity with a flexible design.
“From these needs emerged the architectural concept of the project: a solid house with a large internal connecting space that relates to nature,” the team told Dezeen.
The reinforced concrete house “conveys the feeling of floating,” with the glazed ground floor set back behind narrow recycled metal columns and a large overhanging second floor.
On the ground floor, screened windows close the house from the street while opening to the rear garden. At the rounded southwest corner, residents enter a double-height living and dining area.
“The double height above the living and dining areas creates a connection between the upper and lower levels, creating a fluid space that invites users to descend,” the team said.
An adjacent multi-purpose room can be opened to the dining area on one side, and stacked aluminum and glass doors open the other side of the social areas to the large covered rear porch.
A guest bathroom is located off the kitchen and at the north end of the house are the garage and service areas.
A central floating staircase – with a zigzag dark wood stringer suspended from thin black metal cables – is integrated into the kitchen and leads to the upper level with three bedrooms, a terrace and a multi-purpose area that can be modified according to the needs of residents.
“The master bedroom, located to the west overlooking Quito, provides security for the home, while the secondary bedrooms are sheltered and look out onto the rear garden.”
The modern interiors are unified by gray porcelain tile floors, white painted walls, black metal details, dark wood and light gray furniture.
The arrangement promotes natural ventilation and reduces the need for air conditioning.
“Binocular House improves the quality of life of its users as it is functional in its architectural design and promotes well-being by maximizing natural light while controlling direct sunlight on its facades, thereby reducing the need for artificial lighting,” Das said Team.
Recently, Gabriel Rivera Arquitectos designed a brick house and riding school in the Andes and a house in Nayón that protected the site's existing trees and allowed them to grow through and around the residence.
Photography is by JAG Studio.
Project evidence:
Gabriel Rivera Arquitectos Team: Gabriel Rivera, Diego Rivera, Bethlehem Andrade, Daniel Yambay, Pedro Hail, Margaret Quishpe