The 24-square-meter Casa Pukará is a small, prefabricated residential project built in 2024 by El Sindicato Arquitectura in the rural area of Cayambe, Ecuador. Located on the foothills of the Cayambe volcano, the design for this small dwelling was conceived as a way for the owner to participate directly in its construction, honoring a deep-seated desire to build with his own hands and strengthen his familial connection to the land. This approach was a direct response to the remote site's lack of electricity and logistical challenges that would have made transporting a fully assembled structure impossible.

The house was entirely prefabricated as a series of ready-to-assemble panels, allowing the owner and his father to put it together using only basic cordless power tools like drills and screwdrivers, with an accompanying assembly manual. The design strategy carefully considers the local environment, with a low, blind façade oriented against the dominant winds and the main road, which contains the house's service areas. In contrast, the lateral façades open up generously to the landscape, with one framing a view of the valley and the other facing a reservoir and the volcano. The fourth facade, which faces the interior of the property, is opened only at the top to provide natural light without compromising privacy and houses built-in features like the kitchen, a library, and a storage cellar.

Credits

Architects: El Sindicato Arquitectura

Lead Architects: Nicolás Viteri, Xavier Duque, and María Reinoso

Lead Team: Erika Galarraga

Design Team: Diana Padilla and Pablo Hidalgo

General Construction: Micra and Pensar en madera

Photography: Eduardo Espinosa Garate

Illustrations and diagrams: El Sindicato Arquitectura, Erika Galarraga, and Eduardo Espinosa Garate