Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography, Windows, Bed, BeamObservatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography, Dining room, Windows, ChairObservatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Exterior PhotographyObservatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Exterior Photography, Wood, BrickObservatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - More Images+ 26

  • Design Team: Daniel Moreno Flores, Marie Combette, Pablo Betancourt
  • Clients: Pilar Flores, Michael Blanchard
  • Engineering: Patricio Cevallos
  • Construction: Luis Ramos, Rene Cuenca
  • Drawing: Marie Combette
  • Illustration: Paulina Flores
  • City: Quito
  • Country: Ecuador
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Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Exterior Photography
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

Text description provided by the architects. This is a project of a basic quotidian approach - to renew the roof of the house due to its severe deterioration and its potential danger. For us, this reason has been a great opportunity for transformation, to contribute to the quality of life of the occupants of the house. We understood that in addition to changing the roof, we could modify the spaces that are peripherally located and linked to the roof.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Exterior Photography, Wood, Brick
© Andrés Villota Pelusa
Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Image 31 of 31
Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography, Dining room, Windows, Chair
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

This is a situation that we have taken full advantage of, magnifying and amplifying the relationship of users with their environment. The client has a close relationship with nature, and in her artistic practice, she has developed her work around the mountains, the sea, the air, etc. Knowing this, it has been vitally important for us to pay tribute to this relationship in the completion of this roofing project.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography, Windows, Bed, Beam
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

In this way, we can talk about the territory and the place we live in. Quito is a city inserted in a great mountainous landscape - the Pichinchas - and it has adapted to the slopes of the Andes. At an overwhelming speed, the city has grown and grown, forgetting this very special geographical situation. Under these circumstances, the constructions do not have direct links with the mountains and volcanoes.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography, Living Room
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

Pilar, the client, has always drawn one of the Pichinchas, Condor Huachana, always in the same position, focusing and valuing this mountain. With a colour pencil technique, she has recorded a collection of mountains that have been made at different times, marking the changes in light and the different temporalities. Understanding this, the proposed architecture is the intensification of the Condor Huachana mountain, the relationship of the house with the eastern mountain range, the Pichinchas and the snowy Cotopaxi.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography
© Andrés Villota Pelusa
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© Andrés Villota Pelusa

We have made four territorial connections.

The first is a periscope from the entrance to the house on the upper floor. Just by looking up one focuses on the Condor Huachana, it is inside the house, it is part of daily life.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Image 14 of 31
© Andrés Villota Pelusa
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Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Image 12 of 31
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

Taking advantage of the modification of the roof, the space of the main room was changed, creating a double-height space made of plywood and making an opening on one of the sides of the roof complemented by a high desk that allows working directly with the mountain.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

The storage space that has had a direct connection with the roof and has always been a relegated space, was made into a containing nest with an incision that generates a link with the mountain. Now it is a living space that can be used for storage.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Exterior Photography, Brick, Beam
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

On the rooftop leisure spaces were designed, connecting the users with the territory and its different mountains. Here, all the sunsets and sunrises can be registered. In this way, they can become a source of inspiration for new creations and daily gratifications for life.

Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores - Interior Photography, Windows, Brick, Facade
© Andrés Villota Pelusa

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Project location

Address:La Gasca, Quito 170129, Ecuador

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "Observatory Reform Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores" [Reforma Observatorios al Cóndor Huachana / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores] 06 Jun 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/962915/observatory-reform-condor-huachana-la-cabina-de-la-curiosidad-daniel-moreno-flores-plus-marie-combette> ISSN 0719-8884

© Andrés Villota Pelusa

秃鹰华查纳山峰天文台改造 / La cabina de la curiosidad + Marie Combette + Daniel Moreno Flores

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