Architect Felipe Escudero brings futuristic style to luxury homes in Ecuador.
With a science-fiction edge, he has designed luxury homes, apartment buildings, offices and more, as director of Felipe Escudero’s studio in the Ecuadorean capital, Quito. The goal is to use the design to bring “the human experience to the urban landscape,” he said, but it’s so much more than that.
Mr Escudero, 38, previously worked alongside British architect Thomas Heatherwick from 2013 to 2014 at Heatherwick Studio in London, then highlighted his innovative home designs that changed South American architecture. He’s built concrete homes, uses spaceship-like structures for buildings and always incorporates plants in unconventional ways, whether it’s vines hanging from the ceiling or cacti lined up in grid-like patterns.
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With recent zoning laws giving way to more modern architecture in Ecuador, Mr. Escudero is building projects he hopes to put the country on the map as a luxury destination. His style helps shape Quito as an architectural and sustainable destination. Some of his upcoming projects include Foresta, an open-air restaurant designed by chef Rodrigo Pacchio that will open this summer, and Quito’s Museum of Contemporary Art, due for completion in January 2023, which he is renovating and adding recent additions to.
Mr. Escudero spoke to Mansion Global about sustainable design using local materials, building the Quito skyline, and his favorite design quote.
MG: How did you get into architecture?
Felipe Escudero: When I was a teenager, my father had an architect friend who worked in a minimalist and futuristic style, his name was Oscar Niemeyer and he influenced me a lot. He introduced me to designers like Le Corbusier and other architects, and my passion for it began to grow. I studied at Georgia Tech for two years and studied in Europe – in Rome, Paris and Berlin – then got a job in New York, then received a job offer from MAD Architects in Beijing, I was only 24 years old.
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MG: Why did you come back to Ecuador as an architect and why are you staying in Quito?
FE: For workers and materials, in how we use concrete, for example. We also use a lot of earth materials. And the way the work is organized Ecuador, Allows for a different cultural system. Sustainability is different here. It is a different process to obtain certifications for sustainable buildings. We focus on passive building systems, design oriented homes and have a shape that allows natural sunlight and air circulation. The shapes we design, we reuse water and we use solar panels as well.
MG: What do we need to know about the luxury goods market in Ecuador?
FE: It’s been growing over the past 20 years, since the economy stabilized and globalization has helped Ecuadorean homeowners see what’s out there, and what they can benefit from locally. The country has also recently introduced solar panels to a lot of apartment buildings and homes. With the clients I have, they want something unique and special, and we can provide that here. It is found not in the capital mainly but in the smaller city of Guayaquil, where the economy is as big as Quito, and the third largest in Calceta, which is concerned with the growth of the luxury market.
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MG: What luxury home styles are design wise like?
FE: In terms of style, there is a mixture of classic and modern design. You get results here that you can’t get anywhere else — terrain and landscapes with hills and mountains. You do different things as an architect than you would with a flat space. When clients call me, they can buy a statue in New York, but they want something specific from Ecuador.
MG: What was the concept behind your Space Earth project?
FE: This project in Cuenca, is dedicated to a digital marketing agency that wanted to have a sophisticated image. There is a healthy food restaurant on the main floor and a photo studio on the second floor. The second floor windows are opaque white, letting in natural light, while you can still feel this futuristic warehouse. We always want to use wellness and nature in our projects, so we hung plants from the ceiling, and made the plants outside in a grid-like shape. It is a controlled way to use nature.
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MG: Have you been influenced by science fiction or futurism, as a design style?
FE: I’ve always been interested in the future, watching science fiction movies, and reading about technology, 50 years from now. But I also love nature, so I combine them both. I love designing spaceships, organic shapes, designing aliens and how they communicate in science fiction movies. A lot of people say my work looks like it’s futuristic, but it’s interpreted that way.
MG: What recent zoning laws have allowed modern architecture to enter Ecuador? Do these new construction projects hope to put the country on the map as a luxury destination?
FE: Yes, it came with the wave of economic development nearly 15 years ago, along with the advent of solar panels here and housing development in general. The laws had to change. Now, it is allowed to build higher buildings, more than 40 floors, which was the previous limit. There are no restrictions on style, but I believe developers are encouraged to create more sustainable buildings, and how they relate to each other and to the community. The creation of public spaces in buildings is also strongly encouraged.
MG: What helped inspire the modern, futuristic style of luxury buildings we see in Ecuador?
FE: When Bjarke Ingels Group designed their first project not just in Ecuador, but in the whole of South America, the 2018 IQON Residential Tower in Quito, it made people think of Ecuador as a design destination, and that helps culturally. The government is inviting newcomers who are looking to invest as well. In general, construction in Latin America is happening quickly. In a way, they are always changing. My design of the Magnolia House in Los Arrayanes, where the weather is better than in Quito, is a good example because there is more room for the sprawling luxury estates here. It’s great for a luxury destination.
MG: What is your personal definition of luxury?
FE: I like this question. I think luxury is something beyond necessity. For me, it adds value to your experience. With food, you can make it live, or with an amazing ingredient, make it well planned and served on a plate that will give a high experience. This can apply to everything from food to design and travel. Escalation of experiences. When it comes to design, luxury design pays attention to detail. It goes beyond your traditional idea of discipline. A building that not only works well, but also smells great and looks great.
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MG: What design quote do you live by?
FE: Oscar Niemeyer is my favorite designer because he was able to put together all the criteria of home design in a simple solution. It has solved problems through simple design. He has a quote where he says, “We need imagination to survive.” I like this idea that, as human beings, we should think beyond necessity and expand our minds through imagination.
MG: What do you have next next?
FE: A project in Santuario has three residential towers and a new tower designed with the same client. We are very excited. We are about to start our design in the world of NFT as well. We’re also excited to go global too.
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