MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê by Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker

MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê by Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Xelata A' Design Award a Zîvîn in Dîzayna Mîmarî, Avahî û Strukturê Competition Category.

ZîvMîmarî· 2020

MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê

by Aaron Leppanen and Gabriela Anker

Client: Romero & Pazmiño Ingeniería Inmobilaria

Xelata A' Design Award a Zîvîn Winner in Mîmarî Category

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The Design

About MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê

MareNostrum avahiyeke niştecihbûnê ya heşt qat e li Quito, Ekuador. Nav vedigere ser peyva Latînî ya deryaya me, û rûyê avahiyê tevgera bêşoyên fîloyên Romayî ji nû ve şîrove dike. Rûyê xwar balkonên mezin çêdike ku qada navxweyî ber bi derve ve dirêj dike. Goşeyên birîn du astan digirin, ji tavê siyê didin û cihên ku cîran tê de dikarin hev bibînin çêdikin. Avahî xwedî sûît, apartmanên du odexewk û sê odexewk û loftan e, digel salonek û qadên kesk li ser teqê. Stratejiyên pasîf ronahiya xwezayî û hewaguhêziyê peyda dikin.

The Recognition

About the Xelata A' Design Award a Zîvîn

MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê xelatgirê Xelata A' Design Award a Zîvîn e, nasîneke bi awayekî awarte bi prestîj ku ji sêwiranên di asta herî bilind de, xweşik û bibandor re tê dayîn. Xelatgirên Zîvînê karên pir birûsk û pir afirîner in, yên ku pisporiya hêja, jêhatîbûn û zîrekiya sêwiranerên xwe nîşan didin. Tê hêvîkirin ku MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê karekî mînak, pir pîşekar û bi kûrahî nûjen be. Ev sêwirana bi Zîvînê serketî vedîtineke berbiçav û hatiye sitayişkirin e ku ji bo fireh kirina sînorên huner, zanist, sêwiran û teknolojiyê tevkarî dike. MareNostrum Avahiya Niştecihbûnê afirandinek e ku gelek kes çavê xwe lê dikin, daxwazan şiyar dike, hestên erênî tîne û heyirînê çêdike.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Throughout the 8 story residential building, the movement of the facade generates large balconies, which extends the interior space to the exterior. The form has passive sustainability strategies, such as ventilation and natural light. The volume of the building allows different types of apartments, suites, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms and lofts. In addition, social spaces are created inside the building, such as a lounge and green areas on the terrace, to take advantage of the urban context.
Dimensions & Packaging: The building has 8 stories and 3 underground levels in a 1250 square meters lot. The total construction area is 8,800 square meters. The building has a reinforced concrete structure with steel deck floor plates.
Tags: Sea , Waves , Urban , Facade , Residential
Production Technology: The facade and the lobby have the same language in their design. However the facade was constructed with conventional masonry blocks and mortar. The lobby in contrast was built with a combination of digital fabrication and artisan work. The unique lobby forms were made with a cnc cut mdf structure and colorado wood panels cut by hand. The use of complementary digital and artisan construction techniques was key to attain such unconventional forms in a setting like Ecuador.
Design Challenge: The historical connection that the site of the project had with the sea inspired the form. The local construction technology however gave limitations on how this form would be attained. After evaluating different materials , the conventional masonry blocks and cement materials were used in a sculpted work with the local artisans to build the wave inspired facade. The combination of these curved walls and wooden accents below the cantilevered floor plate extensions created the desired volume.
Research: Our office research primarily focuses on form finding through organic efficiencies. Specifically varied repetition is of interest, looking for models of difference through a similar design process. The objective behind this research is to identify potential insights and techniques that can be implemented in our iterative design process. Methods include digital sketching in rhino and grasshopper and physical printed models. In the iterative process, experimentation is the most important aspect in the search for potential architectural solutions. These experiments are tested against the various project parameters, which could include; zoning, context, client preferences, marketing strategies, constructability and other conceptual criteria. The result of this process is constructible yet experimental design that has movement, emotion, repetition and a physical presence in our community.
Inspiration: The site of the project was named Mare Nostrum after an existing restaurant, whose latin meaning is our sea. The ancient Romans baptized what is now the Mediterranean Sea with this name. Inspired in this context, the movement that the oars of the fleets of the Roman Empire used centuries ago to protect their territories is reinterpreted on its facade. Reinforcing this concept an experience of movement is created for the users inside and outside the spaces.
Project Duration: The project started in 2016 and was completed in 2019 in Quito, Ecuador.
Operation Flow: The characteristic cutout corners, spanning over two levels, give the building a softer attitude. They also create spaces and opportunities for neighbors to interact with each other, between the balconies of differing depth.
The cutout corners also provide shade protecting from the hot Andean sun.
Team Members: Aaron Leppanen
Gabriela Anker
Sofía Chávez
Caroline Dieden
José Silva
Gabriela Valdéz Mena
Image Credits: BICUBIK