Board-formed concrete imprinted with eucalyptus planks forms the exterior of this home in Quito, Ecuador, by local firm Bernardo Bustamante Arquitectos.
The low-slung house is sited on a corner lot in the Tumbaco neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Quito. Local planning regulations required that the house have a generous front yard, and prohibited the construction of a fence or other obstruction.
Casa 9B is situated in the Tumbaco area of Quito
To try and provide the occupants with more privacy, Bernardo Bustamante Arquitectos designed the 350-square-metre home's two street-facing facades with a monolithic concrete exterior and selective punched openings in the bedrooms.
The home's overall composition is an "L"-shaped volume with a rounded corner that is meant to match the outline of the street. Three bedrooms and a home office are laid out along a corridor, forming the long leg of the "L", while the communal spaces are clustered in the perpendicular volume. Bernardo Bustamante Arquitectos designed the house in a curved 'L' shape
In contrast to the opaque exterior facade, the inward-facing sides of the home are light and open.
"The private area is made with a system of concrete load-bearing walls, with discreet openings, making the rooms contained and warm spaces, while the social area is completely opened by large windows that merge with the garden and the sky," the architects explained.
Facades oriented away from the street feature large pane...