Wienerberger Brick Award 22

The architecture collective Natura Futura regards The House that Inhabits, located in Babahoyo, Ecuador, as a statement: a statement that not only opposes the commercialisation of the city, which marginalises many people, but also one that gives brick a symbolic as well as a building material function. This traditional building material is often assigned to poorer sections of the population – it is often concealed, plastered and painted over. The architects want this project to demonstrate and explore the value of bricks as a material for a vibrant, habitable city.

The building harks back to the traditional houses of the Latin American city, still commonly seen in Babahoyo, and makes full use of the thirty-by-twelve-meter plot of land. There is commercial space on the ground floor and an apartment and five rooms housing an educational institution on the upper floor. Strips of skylights and a narrow corridor along the outer walls let in daylight. The roof structure is made of wood – another material associated with poverty.

The scope of this project extends far beyond the building envelope. It draws attention to small initiatives that broaden the definition of mixed-use buildings and so make a positive contribution to the quality of urban life in the centre of a modern city. The combination of unorthodox spatial organisation and the chosen materials makes The House that Inhabits a true statement of belief.