David Barragán and Pascual Gangotena
Practice: al bordE, David Barragán & Pascual Gangotena
Established: 2007
City: Quito
Country: Ecuador
www.albordearq.com
[email protected]
al bordE was established in 2007 by David Barragán and Pascual Gangotena in Quito, Ecuador. All the projects are developed within a sustainable perspective that looks for a balance between economy and social issues by using the natural resources and considering the impact on the environment. Both architects are teachers at the Universidad Católica de Ecuador. In 2009 David was an invited teacher on the midterm review in Universidad de Morón in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pascual was also an invited teacher at the 8th International Workshop of Social Housing in Guatemala. They are currently lecturing in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and several cities in Ecuador.
al bordE, David Barragán & Pascual Gangotena
Casa Entre Muros
The starting points of the design were the wish to set up a search for living in harmony with nature, the need of autonomy for each one of the three members of the family, and the low budget (understood as the optimisation of resources and spaces). This architecture aims to highlight the nature of the material elements that compose it, promoting the aesthetic, formal, functional and structural qualities as well as maximising respect for the environment.
| How does diversity of people reveal itself at work? | One of the main characteristics that the practice looks for in every member is their capacity to enrich the work through their own point of view, knowledge and experience. We greatly appreciate fresh ideas that can lead to new ways of facing the upcoming challenges, so working with people from many backgrounds is what nurtures the diversity we look for in every aspect of our work. |
| Who are your role models who inspire you? | Solano Benítez has been an important reference to us in low-cost construction with high-quality results, the use of raw materials in a building with no need for finishing or covering, and a quest for structurally clever design. Santiago Cirujeda has also given us inspiration in the way architecture can be used as a political statement about what we see that can be improved in a society. |
| If you could change one thing in our profession, what would it be? | In our country, the capacity of architecture to improve the ways we use, build and appreciate spaces is not completely acknowledged by many of the people who have the power to make decisions over the destiny of a city and its potentially emblematic buildings. We would like the people in those positions to understand the transformative power that a well-designed project can have. |
| What do you find most rewarding in your area of work? | The most rewarding aspect of our work is finding solutions that neither we nor our clients thought existed; the challenge is to rethink every project. |