Proyecto Chacras Natura Futura Arquitectura Colectivo Cronopios

The architects from Natura Futura Arquitectura with Colectivo Cronopios have built a sustainable house in Chacras, in the province of El Oro, Ecuador for a family who lost their home in the April earthquake. A community project where building is a social catalyst. 



The province of El Oro, Ecuador borders with Peru and was severely affected by last April's earthquake. Velfor, his wife and three children lost their home in Chacras and were staying with relatives. The 12 x 10-metre site was the subject of an operation by Natura Futura Arquitectura, well-known our readers for their eye-catching designs and their clear focus on communicating with the context - with Colectivo Cronopios, to give the family an affordable, attractive and welcoming home.





As Natura Futura architect José Gómez says, sustainability was one of the key points of the project, which was designed together with the owners and with the community to create a model that could be replicated by others.
The building features passive climate control and shading systems and was constructed using vernacular building techniques.





The residence stands on a foundation of concrete and brick; its walls are made from recycled pallets, fitted into the framework of rectangular timber. The windows are marked by narrower slats for the right balance between privacy and light. The zinc sheet roofing provides protection from the weather as a response to the climatic zone.





The home's appealing design and a campaign on social media helped spread the word about the project and raise the funds needed to build it. The community of Chacras, civilian and military volunteers in post-earthquake construction helped the architects and the collective to actually build the house.



With their new house, Velfor and his family can start rebuilding a new life after the disaster, so in this case architecture plays a fundamental role, not just as a “roof over their heads”, because more generally: Proyecto Chacras by Natura Futura Arquitectura with Colectivo Cronopios is a great example of architecture as a social catalyst.

Christiane Bürklein

Natura Futura Arquitectura + Colectivo Cronopios
Location: Chacras, Arenillas, Ecuador
Surface:30 m2
Year: 2016
Collaborators: Don Velfor, Joao , Gabriela Torres, Eduardo Cruz, Christian Bravo. Fausto Quiroz, José Gómez, Verónica Alvarado, Víctor Torres, Lorena Torres, Betty Alvarado, Diana Alvarado, Xavier Carrera, Leopoldo Bravo, Jamil Jara, Gonzalo Chávez, Todos somos Ecuador, Cuerpo Militar Arenillas, Wagner Aguirre, Juan Sánchez, Ing. Macas, Santiago Arcos , Lylibeth Coloma
Images: Eduardo Cruz and Natura Futura