Urlo Studio designed a rotated, triangular mixed-use complex clad in red concrete panels and terracotta tiles that is meant to reference the architectural heritage of its site in Quito, Ecuador.
Completed in 2022, the project known as Olvia contains 14 residential units and commercial space, totalling 4,285 square meters on a steep 760-square metre in the Bellavista neighbourhood of the country's capital city.
Olvia is a mixed-use development with 14 residential units
Urlo Studio, which has offices in Quito and Valencia, drew ispiration from the site and surrounding context to create the unique volumetric form and reimagine the public space for the usability and safety of pedestrians.
"The pronounced topography provides the building with spectacular views of the city, so we incorporated windows that rotated on an imaginary axis at the corner of the building, which allowed each apartment to take advantage of those views," the team told Dezeen. Terracotta tiles define large parts of the project
Rather than using the contextual perimeter walls that enclose properties, the team opened the ground floor with two commercial spaces that are set into the sloping site with planted terraces.
Above, two- and three-bedroom apartments rotate around a central courtyard.
Angled balconies protrude from Olvia's facade
"As the building grows in height, it pivots on a central axis located in the main corner of the property, generating a series of superimposed volumes that create...