A House in the Andes, situated on the periphery of Quito, Ecuador, ingeniously interlaces architecture with the natural landscape. The residence, designed by ODD Architects, seamlessly melds with its environment through the use of earth displaced from its site. Spanning three levels, it emerges as a manifested dialogue between the crafted terrain and the porous earthen structure, offering a contemporary reinterpretation of dwelling intertwined with its context.
A House in the Andes Technical Information
- Architects: CORREA + FATEHI | ODD Architects
- Location: Puembo, Ecuador
- Project Years: 2021 – 2025
- Photographs: © BICUBIK
The architecture emerges as natural echoes of the Andean highlands, a system enfolding its site with purpose and poise.
– Lucas Correa
A House in the Andes Photographs
Landscape Integration and Spatial Strategy
Set amidst the sculpted landscape of the Andean highlands, A House in the Andes articulates a profound connection between the built environment and its natural backdrop. The project’s design draws inspiration from the Chaquiñán trails, ancient passageways traversing the region’s challenging terrain. This reference not only anchors the architecture in a historical context but also informs a processional pathway through the property, enticing dwellers to experience a layered journey from the mounded vegetation into the house’s spatial core.
The pathway carves through the mounds, leading occupants to a sunken entrance that serves as a transitional threshold. This immersive path encourages a gradual unveiling of the house’s narrow, elongated form, blending it almost imperceptibly into the landscape. The architectural dialogue formed between the rammed earth walls and the surrounding greenery blurs the boundaries between nature and structure, fostering an experience that is as much about the terrain as it is about the architecture itself.
House in the Andes Sectional Mobility
Externally, the residence appears as a compact vertical monolith, yet this apparent simplicity belies an intricate internal logic. The heart of the home is a mobile platform that traverses its three levels, orchestrating a dynamic and adaptable living environment. This structural centerpiece not only facilitates vertical circulation but also enhances spatial functionality by allowing interiors to morph and reconfigure according to varying needs and occasions.
On the second level, a deliberate unification of interior and exterior spaces unfolds. Operable glazing harmonizes sections of the home with the outdoor terrain, bringing seamless accessibility to a verdant lawn and reflective pool. This design element amplifies the interaction between human habitation and the natural surroundings, yielding a living space that transitions fluidly between built form and ecological context.
Material Responsiveness and Environmental Adaptation
Innovatively harnessing site-extracted earth, A House in the Andes showcases sustainable construction through rammed earth walls and custom adobe bricks. These materials not only reaffirm an ecological symbiosis but also contribute to the home’s thermal efficiency. The façade’s porosity promotes cross-ventilation, naturally regulating the indoor environment and generating captivating light patterns that shift through the day.
The evolving appearance of the structure, transitioning from monolithic form by day to a gently illuminated presence by night, underscores a responsive architectural approach. The tactile quality and thermal mass of earthen materials enhance energy performance, while their textural depth connects inhabitants with the tactile narratives of the region’s geological layers.
Contextual Embodiment and Architectural Intentionality
This residence’s design philosophy positions it as an integral extension of its setting rather than an autonomous object. By embedding itself within the contours of the land, the architecture serves as a benign counterpart to its surroundings. A deliberate grounding in local environmental conditions, alongside a seamless continuity of form and materiality, ensures the house embodies a form of quiet resilience and subtlety.
Form, rhythm, and atmospheric qualities derive from inherent relationships with the site, reaffirming an intentional architectural response that respects both geographical and cultural landscapes. As such, A House in the Andes becomes a spatial exemplar for harmonizing human habitation within the natural order, presenting a refined amalgam of architectural precision and contextual sensitivity.
A House in the Andes Plans
A House in the Andes Image Gallery
About CORREA+FATEHI | ODD
Founded by Lucas Correa and co-directed with Parshan Fatehi, CORREA+FATEHI | ODD is an architecture studio based in Quito, Ecuador. Established in 2015, the practice was founded with a clear mission: to create original, grounded architecture that responds to place with precision, purpose, and cultural relevance. Their approach, which they describe as adaptive grounding, treats each project as a system shaped by context, material, and long-term use.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client: Private
Feels very excessive. I fondly recall a critique by Antoine Predock of a small building we erected many years ago. He noted that sometimes, in the early years of one’s career, there is an urge to insert all the design ideas into one solution. Resisting that…or distilling those gestures into something simpler and coherent will carry the day.