compact 'huaira' dwelling in ecuador generates a negative carbon footprint

ecuador-based architectural design team diana salvador and javier mera introduce their compact dwelling, ‘huaira.’ the project is realized as a refuge outside the city, a contact with the essence of nature. a solution, not an addition, to a problem. with the huaira cabin, the team seeks to create an architecture with a negative carbon footprint, using strategies that are scientifically quantified. the project, photographed here by JAG studio, addresses the site’s most significant challenges — these include the need for ventilation in a hot and humid climate and a defense against heavy rain most of the year.

images by JAG studio

architects diana salvador and javier mera make use of simple strategies to ensure that the huaira dwelling in ecuador performs sustainably. such strategies include low cost construction methods, adaptability to weather conditions, and a modular design that is replicable and scalable. the architectural response is simple but not obvious — a ‘low tech’ strategy results from the radical decision to construct the dwelling primarily of plywood, cloaked in a skin of tetra pak, a recyclable carton packaging material.

ecuador’s huaira project sees a combination of function and comfort with bioclimatic strategies that maintain interior climate control. the dwelling is elevated in response to the heavy rain and flooding river. the walls and the roofs form a double layer that contain structural beams and generate an interstitial air chamber, guaranteeing adequate interior ventilation. perforations in the floor and wall enable a cross air supply while the sliding roof reveals a skylight to allow for the control of direct sunlight without losing the connection with the sky and the environment.

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project info:

project title: huaira

architecture: diana salvador, javier mera

location: ecuador

bioclimatic engineering: grace yépez, nicolas salmon

structural engineering: patricio cevallos

furniture: juan subía

project coordinator, constructor: diana salvador

area: 40 square meters

completion: 2019

photography: JAG studio, diana salvador