Natura Futura Arquitectura

Santay Observatory

Santay Observatory 

Natura Futura Arquitectura + Juan Carlos Bamba

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

ILLUSTRATIONS
Andrés ortega, holger pauta, jaime peña

ENGINEERS
José Delgado Mendoza, José Guartatanga

COLLABORATORS
PlantaBal 3ACore Material, Fundación Young Living, Novacero, FIMCM-ESPOL, Flavio Chernes

PHOTOGRAPHS
José escandón, Juan terreros, Jhonatan andrade

AREA
56 m²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Ecuador

CATEGORY
Cultural Architects

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

Text description provided by architect.

The Santay Observatory is a floating space for artistic expressions, training workshops for children and adults, environmental research, and community integration activities.

Santay Island, with 315 inhabitants, is part of the national system of protected areas for its ecological diversity.

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

It is located on the Guayas River, 800 meters from the port city of Guayaquil, and belongs to the Durán canton.

Its state of ecological protection complicates the building of infrastructures that promote cultural and educational development, dignity and revaluation of the collective memory of the site.

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

Despite its condition of high environmental value, the rates of unsatisfied basic needs are a constant in the population.

The project arises from a synergy between the Amigos de Santay Foundation, professionals, and the island community, with the vision of integrating and managing cultural and social manifestations in the territory, bringing the local community and visitors closer to the natural environment and the traditional construction techniques, and strengthening local memory for future generations.

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

The observatory is built with local labor on the banks of Babahoyo, 60 km from Guayaquil, as a continuation of the research on floating habitability begun with El Refugio del Pescador.

This first project sought to revalue the floating houses constituted as intangible heritage of the coastal cities of Ecuador.

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

Once its construction was complete, it was moved from Babahoyo to Guayaquil through the river, to finally settle on the dock on Santay Island.

It is a multifunctional floating platform capable of adapting to various activities through folding doors made of prefabricated balsa wood panels that connect the interior space with an exterior gallery that looks towards the Guayas River and Santay Island.

The wooden trusses constitute the structure of the gable roof that, in addition to generating habitable niches, provides sufficient height to generate ventilation and natural lighting from its permeable limits.

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade

Finally, wooden boards are used for the floor and the ceiling that extends outside the habitable limit to generate protection from the sun and rain.

The Observatory reflects on new possibilities of habitability on the water, where architecture is expressed as a convertible and adaptable space for local artists, visitors, and the community, sharing a vision that recovers the almost extinct traditional floating habitat systems, in the face of a development that moves away from the river as a resource to make a city.

Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade


Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade
Santay Observatory
© José Escandón, Juan Terreros, Jhonatan Andrade


Santay Observatory
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Santay Observatory
Section
Santay Observatory
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Santay Observatory
Context axo
Santay Observatory
Floor Plan


Santay Observatory
Daigram
Santay Observatory
Exploded axo

Natura Futura Arquitectura
Natura Futura Arquitectura
1204 Babahoyo, Ecuador