Denver 2022 Exhibition and conference

Design for the Common Good Logo

a coalition of purpose-driven networks dedicated to promoting systemic change in the practices of design to amplify positive change in communities around the world

  • About
    • Overview
    • DCG Projects Map
    • Founding Networks
      • DesignBuildXchange
      • Live Projects Network
      • Pacific Rim Community Design Network
      • SEED Network
    • Contact Us
  • News/Events
    • News
    • Events
  • Resources
    • Dialogues
    • Writings
  • DCG Exhibition
    • Curated Works
    • Exhibition Projects Map
    • Conference Events
  • DCG Community
    • Get Involved
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • User Guide
    • Member Directory
    Login Join Us
    Design for the Common Good Logo
    Design for the Common Good Logo
    • About
      • Overview
      • DCG Projects Map
      • Founding Networks
        • DesignBuildXchange
        • Live Projects Network
        • Pacific Rim Community Design Network
        • SEED Network
      • Contact Us
    • News/Events
      • News
      • Events
    • Resources
      • Dialogues
      • Writings
    • DCG Exhibition
      • Curated Works
      • Exhibition Projects Map
      • Conference Events
    • DCG Community
      • Get Involved
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • User Guide
      • Member Directory
    People walking into a large open building

    Photo Credit: Santiago Oviedo

    Chamanga Cultural Center

    The Chamanga Cultural Center is the result of a long-term collaboration among academia, civil society organizations, and the community of Chamanga, Ecuador, starting with postdisaster relief efforts and research activities after the earthquake in 2016. The project was organized in two phases within a design/build framework, where students design, plan, and build in collaboration with the local community and professionals. The result is a 175-square-meter two-story building located in a 9- by 15-meter lot. The Cultural Center anchors itself to its context by taking cues from local vernacular architecture, but it also stands out by means of its scale and reinterpreted use of traditional building systems. The center provides a place for local collectives to run their activities while strengthening the community’s ties to its history and the estuary.

    Cause

    Historically marginalized and disconnected from water and sanitation systems, Chamanga faces multilayered ecological challenges. The earthquake that struck the coast of Ecuador in April 2016 accentuated challenges like poverty and lack of public water and waste infrastructure. The building facilitates community-run practices and activities that tackle these larger-scale challenges. A variety of activities, groups, and scenarios had to be incorporated in a fairly limited space; the project had to be open and flexible, yet well-tuned and safe. Several architectural strategies were devised to make this possible in an earthquake-resistant, environmentally friendly, and culturally appropriate configuration.

    Method

    The project aims to materialize a long-term process of collaboration with the community after the earthquake. It complements far-reaching visions with tangible improvements in the short and midterm. Throughout the process, local partners Atarraya Taller de Arquitectura and Opción Más led on-site research, participatory decision-making, and implementation with a broad range of stakeholders. Atarraya advocated for public discussions of programming, execution, resources, and outcomes. These included problem-definition and visioning workshops, charettes to develop an adequate phasing strategy, and meetings to evaluate specific design alternatives.

    Impact

    Many local organizations have used the Chamanga Cultural Center to host cultural, ecological, and economic activities. Skill-building workshops and technical trainings demonstrate the center’s capacity to strengthen collective economic opportunities. Oral-tradition and music workshops, as well as marimba lessons, point to broader efforts to recover and strengthen traditional Afro-Ecuadorian and Montubio cultural heritage. The center also hosts community actions that aim at strengthening mutual aid networks and other forms of solidarity. An example of this was the fabrication of six thousand face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Client:

    Opción Más, San José de Chamanga, Ecuador

    Project Team(s):

    Portland State University

    Tokyo University

    Munich University of Applied Sciences

    Atarraya Taller de Arquitectura

    Opción Más

    Network:

    Design Build Xchange

    Exhibition Issue
    • Academic Education
    Social Issues
    • Academic Education
    • Community Development (rural)
    Economic Issues
    • Disaster Recovery
    Environmental Issues
    • Environmental Sustainability
    Project Location

    , Chamanga, Ecuador, , , , .

    • Photo Credit: CPID

    • Photo Credit: MUAS

    • Photo Credit: Santiago Oviedo

    Take Aways

    Leadership of local maestros/maestras throughout the process provided opportunities for knowledge exchange, integrating the local tradition of social reciprocal construction—known in Ecuador as minga—with the academic methodology of design/build. This was crucial to ensure that the building was appropriate as well as to strengthen the community-organizing process that the construction was part of.
    Difficulties coordinating across distant project partners complicated this project. But making the community, Opción Más, and the site the final arbiters helped keep the project connected and ultimately successful. Acknowledging the client’s role as curator changed the nature of the process, allowing it to become as much a social as a construction process.

    RELATED PROJECTS

    Photo Credit: Katie Edwards

    Naidi Community Hall

    Pacific Rim Community Design Network

    Learn More

    Photo Credit: Vicenzo Floramo

    Gaw La Heh Primary School

    Curry Stone Foundation

    Learn More

    Housing in Historic Rural Palestine

    Curry Stone Foundation

    Learn More

    Agbogbloshie Makerspace Platform

    SEED Network

    Learn More

    DCG Exhibition

    • About Denver 2022
    • Curated Works
    • Committee
    • Center for Visual Art
    • Upcoming Events

    DCG Links

    • About
    • News
    • Resources
    • Reasons to Join
    • Frequently Asked Questions

    Founding Networks

    • DesignBuildXchange
    • Live Projects Network
    • Pacific Rim Community Design Network
    • SEED Network
    © 2023 - Design For The Common Good

    Terms & Conditions  |  Privacy Policy

    Forum Description

    The Chamanga Cultural Center is the result of a long-term collaboration among academia, civil society organizations, and the community of Chamanga, Ecuador, starting with postdisaster relief efforts and research activities after the earthquake in 2016. The project was organized in two phases within a design/build framework, where students design, plan, and build in collaboration with the local community and professionals. The result is a 175-square-meter two-story building located in a 9- by 15-meter lot. The Cultural Center anchors itself to its context by taking cues from local vernacular architecture, but it also stands out by means of its scale and reinterpreted use of traditional building systems. The center provides a place for local collectives to run their activities while strengthening the community’s ties to its history and the estuary.

    Report

    There was a problem reporting this post.

    Harassment or bullying behavior
    Contains mature or sensitive content
    Contains misleading or false information
    Contains abusive or derogatory content
    Contains spam, fake content or potential malware

    Block Member?

    Please confirm you want to block this member.

    You will no longer be able to:

    • See blocked member's posts
    • Mention this member in posts
    • Invite this member to groups
    • Message this member
    • Add this member as a connection

    Please note: This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

    Report

    You have already reported this .
    Clear Clear All