P O R T F O L I O Francisco José Reyes Hernández QUITO - ECUADOR 2 0 2 3
In order to design buildings with a sensuous connection to life, one must think in a way that goes far beyond form and construction. Peter Zumthor.
The idea is not to copy nature, but to give a feeling of nature. Piet Oudolf.
Las Tanusas - master plan Housing + urban Constructed project Architekten 2017
The 24.000 square meter piece of land located in Ecuador - Manabi was given to us to create a master plan, where 70% of the space had to be part of a designed landscape using endemic species in order to preserve the local environment. The owners envisioned a way of joining the idea of divided pieces of land and the luxury of a 5 star hotel. This concept then was grounded by creating three different paths to go though the project given by the vehicle, bicycle / horse, pedestrian transit. All of this types of roads can be used by the 2 kind of residents, hotel and owners. The Hotel located at the front of the land, looking at the beach has the typology of a common resort. Equipped with a main building where the front desk and restaurant work. On the sides of this buildings two complementary spaces where build. A mess room and bar, giving the tourist a place to hang out and consume food. And an activity saloon where conferences or parties can be held. At the front of the main building we have a number of cabins for use of the hotel, all of them having a great view of the ocean. And at the back of the main building we developed two spaces dedicated to keep all the types of transport. A 50 space parking lot and a stable with room for 20 horses and 10 bicycles was constructed.
From that point on, a different kind of development was proposed. 74 pieces of land were created in order to develop villas were the owner would have to choose from a list of designs with a house with a personal grove, developed by 5 teams of architects.All these villas had different kind of amenities varying from stables, compost landfill, water treatment lagoons, market and maintenance buildings. The owners then have the opportunity to sell their produce to the market, hotel or nearby towns in order to keep and encourage green agroforestry type of crop growth. Las Tanusas, an urban development project located in Manabi - Ecuador, invited our firm to develop the master plan for the whole piece of land as well as a model villa for the new residents. The Villa, a conglomerate of 7 blocks, joined by a pedestrian grid has a social space (Kitchen - living room), two rooms divided into a master and a visits room, an extra bathroom for visitors, laundry and cleaning room and a garage. The house also has a personal grove that follows agroforestry concepts in order to keep a sustainable crop growth. The villa has a main water treatment lagoon connected to the crops making it aesthetic as well as functional.
Villaflora Commercial Plaza
Metro pedestrian ramp entrance
As a result a covered path and balconies are created
Commercial Constructed project Obrum 2022
Historically Quito´s Villaflora neighborhood Av. Maldonado & Metro has been either a political, economic or so- lane cial conflict zone. Villaflora´s plan was thought to be the solu- - Pedestrian walkways tion to housing and transportation in the - Vehicle roads mid 60´s but this turned to be wrong, filled with robbery, drug addiction and homelessness. The site located in the epicenter of this sector, was an uncertain site to develop a commercial building, because of the criminality and lack of pedestrian traffic relegated by the given importance to the vehicle. Main roads have a great weight The building therefore is a response to these problems, it is on the search to restore the promise of a well planned neighborhood, providing it with security, pedestrian paths and a new look that adds up to the sector. The commercial building is composed by a North - South slab and a East - West pedestrian circulation. The slab faces the most important pedestrian and vehicle street. The proposed slab gives the needed importance to the pedestrian walk area competing with the oppressing importance given to the car by creating a promenade in which the neighborhood can walk and interact with each other.
in context, the building sets back to create a better sun bathed and more open public space.
Pedestrian walk - Av. Maldonado
Av. Napo/bridge Pedestrian walk St.Tarqui
A promenade is part of the project, making each store exposed to wanderers The promenade counteracts the speed of the main avenue, giving the pedestrian a proper space
Unexisting parking demands new parking space, benefiting the commercial plaza
Pedestrian path is extended inside project/emphasize human instead of vehicle New pedrestrian path connecting back plaza with main avenue
Slab is broken to create three main bodies and creating a new path
Between the two main slabs a pathway is made. This creates a interesting stairway, where various trees can be planted. A ramp crosses through the space giving each stair a platform for people to sit on, therefore creating a resting and meeting area for many visitors.
The project has a main visual connector on each store balcony. This creates a lost neighborhood culture, where verbal and visual relationships are created.
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A dynamic promenade weaving the plaza, exposes all of the stores to the visitor, giving them different walk opportunities.
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Each store typology is based on a two story slab, facing the main street. If desired, multiple stores can be joined as for they are modular.
VisAndes Headquaters
Competition Sangolqui Obrum + Arquitectura X 2022
The competition demanded a new building for the headquarters of a credit bank. Their philosophy being that a community must be constructed in order to change a society had a real influence in our design. The gardens crossed though the project creating an open space for all visitors, and involving the community into knowing the credit bank more in dept. The building is created therefore in two bodies divided into public and private spaces distinguished only by the skin of the building. VisAndes building also wanted to create a great number of green spaces that would transform Sangolqui which is a well known industrial site near the old rail tracks and which will be transformed into a lineal park, a project done with the help of VisAndes and the municipality.
ST 01
ST 02
-0.50 m
B
30
+4.40 m
+4.04 m +3.60 m
30
SL 02
SL 02
AV. PANAMERICANA
SL 01
SL 01 0.00 m +4.32 m
30 Hall
+3.82 m
30
N + 3000101 m
30
+1.50 m
Baño
ACCESO VEHICULAR
PLANTA ALTA
CALLE INTERNA ST 01
ST 02
The building created by an array of wooden structure placed horizontally, faces the main entrance of the building site. The program organized as a stem would create main and secondary paths that go from public through private as the project develops as the terrain goes deep into the gardens. The greenery organized as vertical strips gives the project a open sensation and also invites the wonderer to walk and explore the project. A number of public spaces are proposed on the surroundings of the building as well as the roof of the project. A bicycle track is placed as a plus given that the old rail tracks nearby will have a cycling path. The building create a false topography protruding from the track giving the pedestrian and cyclist community a glance into the offices of VisAndes and there fore creating a visual connection between both actors of the building.