BACKGROUND In response to the need to recover Ecuador’s sites listed as cultural heritage, our professional services were hired by the Coordinating Ministry for Heritage and Culture in order to create an architectural design for a roof for the old church of the city of Baños. These sites constitute a key factor for local and regional development, as well as for that of the country in general.
The old church in Baños is located next to the current Municipality and dates from 1788. It was renovated after the earthquake of 1797, but it was finally reduced to ruins by another earthquake in 1949.
ORIGINAL STATE OF THE SITE The walls of the old church were confined by several buildings chaotically laid out and which had robbed the site from its historic role.
OBJETIVES Realize a safe roof with a design adapted to its environment using geometric forms of the original roof obtained through an abstraction process.
Cover the walls using materials that guarantee their durability. Allow interior circulation without obstacles.
Ensure the proper ventilation of the space confined by the walls.
PROPOSAL The proposal was born from the collection of requirements generated in different conversations with the stakeholders and the conclusions obtained from the visit to the site.
We worked around two main ideas:
Identity:Abstraction process of the main elements of the original roof (two slopes). Taken apart and confronted in an inverse way, these elements generated a hyperbole that virtuallyreminds of the old roof.
Context: The static, chaotic environment that surrounds the ruins is devoid of harmony and any type of rhythm in terms of aesthetic values. It generated a need for movement and dynamics which was satisfied by the hyperbole without any added elements.
CONCLUSION The final result was the design of a roofwith its own identitywhile consistently meeting the needs of the project. The materials used were existing in the market and complied with the required characteristics: The slenderness of metal structuresharmonised with the design and enabled large spaces to be covered. Polycarbonate allowed to protect the interior space without sacrificing illumination.
