ecuador-based studio al borde has refurbished a seemingly useless ruined house in ibarra into a modern family home. having kept the existing earth walls, the architects reinforced them maintaining the open layout of the space, and adding one little yet very significant element — suspended beds for each member of the family under the ceiling.

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds designboom
the new interior with the three bedrooms suspended from the new roof
photos by jag studio, al borde & ENOBRA

 

 

the final finishes of al borde’s completed work are almost the same as they were there in the 18th century, as the refurbishings that were done are a few and strategic — structural walls are reinforced, rammed earth is treated, doors and windows that were in poor condition are changed, and the floor is clad with polished concrete.

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds designboom
the refurbishing was done with local materials, such as bricks and wood

 

 

the old roof was not eligible for reuse, so the architects replaced it with a new one made of recycled tires, solving the bedrooms too. a new upper bond beam connects the walls, while above it, eucalyptus trusses were installed each meter and fifty-five centimeters with three wooden bed capsules built between them.

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
a narrow bridge connects the three bedrooms

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
the suspended bedrooms in a relationship with the light and the materiality

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds designboom
the relationship between the small suspended habitats and the openness of the ground floor

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
the domesticity of the bathroom with a sink made of an old millstone

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
to the street, the project keeps the line of the roof with the neighbor

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
the earth is the main material of the house and the refurbishment

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds designboom
the recycled roof tires and the old ceramic roof tiles

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
a rural and contemporary identity

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
in between the interior and the exterior

 

al borde refurbishes an 18th century ruin in ecuador into family house with suspended beds
the site before the intervention

 

project info:

 

architects: al borde

collaborators: charlotte vaxelaire

construction management: josé guerrero

structural engineering: patricio cevallos & mathieu lamour

construction: builder miguel ramos + ENOBRA + edison marcial

location: la esperanza, imbabura, ecuador

dates: 2015 – 2017

photography: jag studio, al borde & ENOBRA

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: maria erman | designboom