The UISEK campus in Guapulo, Quito sits at the border between the feel of the hectic metropolis and the relaxed village. This crossbreeding between nature and city makes it an ideal place for an architecture school.

The green roof serves several purposes; remove air particulates, produce oxygen, provide shade, create habitat for wildlife, increase benevolence and decreases stress of the students and reduce and slow stormwater. The black oxide structural wires, that makes the ceiling, are made from recycled steel.

“Raised Garden” is a design for a new cafeteria and multifunction space for the architecture faculty. It is conceptually born from the idea of not wishing to take away green area from the already limited size of the campus garden. It does so by raising a new piece of garden to form the roof - similar in size to the area that the floor plan takes away from the existing garden.

The roof is supported by Guadua bamboo columns, a local building material throughout Ecuadorian architecture history, but in modern times disappeared with the introduction of concrete. By reintroducing it, and showcasing its substantial structural capabilities, the design brings renewed attention to bamboo as a sustainable source in construction.