Quito, Ecuador
Inspired by the city’s natural surroundings, the Qondesa tower building, designed by Mad Architects and commissioned by Quito-based architectural developer Uribe Schwarzkopf, will consist of “intimately scaled urban apartments”, as well as multiple amenities and communal areas that will create “a vertical community where residents play a fundamental role in animating the building.”
“Quito, a city of coexisting contrasts influenced by its diverse ecosystems, ethnicities, and traditions, is the capital of Ecuador and a UNESCO world heritage site, which features the best-preserved and least altered historic center in South America,” says the studio.
The tower’s exterior color references the local traditional architecture where many existing buildings are constructed from volcanic rocks as the city is situated on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha volcano.
Resembling the movement of “climbing vines”, the organic shape of the building looks like it is growing from the ground to the sky.
“Growing from the earth to the sky, Qondesa’s exterior facade emulates twisting vines weaving around the building to taper at its top, and sprout greenery which forms planters throughout the building’s balconies,” explain the architects.
The exterior shape of Qondesa is designed so as not to block natural light and views from the surrounding buildings.
The project is located in the Guayllabamba River basin and on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains.
The firm envisions a stone-colored appearance for the façade, the details are conceived as a nod to the stone facades in Quito’s Old Town, where historic buildings used the volcanic stone from the nearby volcano.
The building is being designed in accordance with environmental and energy-efficient standards, with responsible consumption of resources and energy, as well as comprehensive waste management.
Project: Qondesa
Architects: MAD Architects
Lead Architects: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano
Associate Partners: Tiffany Dahlen
Design Team: Jon Kontuly, Xie Peng, Horace Hou, Edwin Cho, and Matthew McFetrick
Client: Uribe Schwarzkopf
Renderings: MAD Architects
