ODD Architects / CORREA + FATEHI

A House in the Andes

A House in the Andes

ODD ARCHITECTS

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

ARCHITECTS
ODD ARCHITECTS

LEAD ARCHITECT
CORREA + FATEHI | ODD

PHOTOGRAPHS
BICUBIK

YEAR
2021

LOCATION
Puembo, Ecuador

CATEGORY
Houses

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

English description provided by the architects.

INTEGRATION WITH TERRAIN

Rising from sculpted mounds of native vegetation, the house is defined by a landscape strategy that echoes local topography and evokes a sense of highland wilderness.

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

Processional access is carved into the mounds, revealing rammed earth walls and referencing the Chaquiñán—ancestral trails once used to navigate the rugged Andean geography.

This approach choreographs movement through terrain, leading to a sunken threshold and immersive sectional sequence.

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

SECTIONAL ORGANIZATION AND MOBILITY

From a distance, the house appears as a compact vertical monolith—discreet and grounded.

Internally, the section is organized around a mobile platform that moves through all three levels.

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

More than a means of circulation, it enables spatial flexibility—allowing programs to shift, merge, and reconfigure with time and use.

At the second level, the architecture opens outward into a plateau of lawn and water—an interior pool and exterior garden divided by operable glazing, uniting landscape and interior in a single gesture.

MATERIAL GROUNDED IN PLACE

Excavated earth is compacted into rammed earth walls and cast into a single custom module of adobe brick.

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

This breathable, ventilated façade modulates temperature and light, casting intricate shadows that evolve with the sun.

At night, it emits a soft, porous glow—transforming monolithic mass into atmosphere.

By building with the very ground it stands on, the house becomes both a symbolic and material extension of the landscape.

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

CONTEXTUAL RESOLUTION

Through the transformation of ground into form, A House in the Andes becomes inseparable from its site—defined by sectional depth, environmental sensitivity, and material continuity.

Its architecture emerges not as an object imposed on the land, but as a spatial system attuned to its contours and conditions.

Form, rhythm, and atmosphere are drawn directly from the landscape itself, producing a dwelling that is rooted in place, responsive to context, and composed with quiet intentionality.

A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK


A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK
A House in the Andes
© BICUBIK

ODD Architects / CORREA + FATEHI
T +593 98 354 1542
ODD Architects / CORREA + FATEHI
Av. González Suárez, Y, Quito 170517, Ecuador