A 24-story, 100-meter mixed-use tower is set to rise in Quito, Ecuador, the greenest capital in South America.
The BIG-designed building, dubbed EPIQ, is located on the southern tip of La Carolina Park in the center of the city on a quarter-of-a-circle site across from the new Quito subway. The building was designed with rounded corners to allow for panoramic views of the city while minimizing impact from neighboring buildings to daylight exposure. This rounded corner design creates a facade that is a continuously wrapping envelope, meaning the building has no back side.
At EPIQ’s base a pedestrian through-block connection forms a new gateway to a nearby park and the recently completed subway. Also located at the base are offices, lobbies, retail, and a restaurant. The above floors house residential and amenity spaces.
See Also: New social campus for innovators, tech leaders covers a full city block
As the building rises, soft openings are carved into the building mass to create eight district blocks. These buildings within a building are all connected via large, communal green terraces at different elevations to create a vertical neighborhood. The terraces also allow daylight to permeate the entire building.
The building’s colors and patterns are reflective of the earth tones and herringbone pattern of the tiles seen throughout the streets of Quito’s Old City. The facade pattern is based on the scale of the individual apartments with red and pink hues that give each volume its own identity.
The project is currently in progress.
Related Stories
Smart Buildings | May 28, 2015
4 ways cold-climate cities can make the most of their waterfronts
Though cold-climate cities pose a unique challenge for waterfront development, with effective planning waterfront cities with freezing winter months can still take advantage of the spaces year-round.
Sponsored | Coatings | May 14, 2015
Prismatic coatings accent the new Altara Center
This multi-use campus will contain a university, sports facilities, medical center, and world-class shopping
Mixed-Use | May 10, 2015
Construction on Orlando’s massive ‘innovation hub’ is finally starting
The $1 billion Creative Village development will create a business and education hub.
High-rise Construction | May 6, 2015
Two new designs submitted for New York City Riverside Center
Both designs reference the cantilevers and other elements featured in architect Christian de Portzamparc’s original masterplan for the complex, which has now been scrapped.
Building Owners | May 6, 2015
Hackathons and RFCs: Why one developer killed the RFP
In lieu of an RFP process, Skanska Commercial Development hosted a three-week "hackathon" to find an architect for its 2&U tower in Seattle.
Mixed-Use | May 5, 2015
Miami ‘innovation district’ will have 6.5 million sf of dense, walkable space
Designing a neighborhood from the ground-up, developers aim to create a dense, walkable district that fulfills what is lacking from Miami’s current auto-dependent layout.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 30, 2015
Atlanta Braves partner with Omni Hotels & Resorts to build hotel near new Suntrust Park
The Omni Atlanta Northwest Hotel will feature 16 floors with 260 guest rooms and suites, rooftop hospitality suites, 12,500 sf of meeting space, a signature restaurant, and an elevated pool deck and bar overlooking the plaza and ballpark.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 29, 2015
OMA unveils design for the Netherlands' largest hotel
Once completed, and if approved, the structure will add three stacked cubes to the Amsterdam skyline.
High-rise Construction | Apr 23, 2015
Size matters in NYC, where several projects vie for the city’s tallest building honor
The latest renderings of 217 West 57th Street show a tower that would rise higher than the World Trade Center’s pinnacle, when elevations are included.
High-rise Construction | Apr 22, 2015
Architects propose sustainable ‘vertical city’ in the Sahara
Designers aim to make the 1,476-foot tower sustainable, relying on rainwater collection, solar power, and geothermal energy.