Ecuador : A Journey Through Architecture, Culture and Land

Ecuador boasts an extraordinary variety of landscapes., ranging from the Amazon rainforest in the east, across the Andes Mountains, rising to over 20,500 ft, to the Galápagos Archipelago, located nearly 560 miles off the mainland in the Pacific Ocean. This geographical diversity has helped forge Ecuador’s contemporary architecture. Traditional building materials and techniques are combined with innovative design strategies that respond to the country’s unique environmental conditions.

Faced with major economic and political challenges, Ecuadorian architects push boundaries with a spirit of innovation and a strong commitment to sustainability. Their designs serve communities with vastly different social and economic needs and position the country at the forefront of the fight against climate change. Ecuador: A Journey Through Architecture, Culture and Land uses 21 buildings in Ecuador’s Amazon, Andes, and Coastal regions as well as on the Galápagos Archipelago to exemplify how the designs interact with landscape, urban life, and communities in a fascinating interplay of architecture, environment, and culture.

An introduction by architect and scholar Ana María Durán Calisto, brief texts by architectural theorist and historian Shayarina Monard-Arciniegas, a travel diary by photographers Francesco Russo and Luca Piffaeretti, and captions by architecture writer and critic Irma Delmonte supplement 240 colour images. Text in English and Spanish.