{"id":17672,"date":"2024-10-28T07:23:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T07:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/natura-futura-y-bamba-studio-disenan-en-ecuador-el-centro-las-tejedoras-con-los-objetivos-de-insercion-vinculacion-y-soporte-de-mujeres-tejedoras\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T18:53:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:53:59","slug":"natura-futura-and-bamba-studio-design-las-tejedoras-center-in-ecuador-a-space-for-empowerment-connection-and-support-for-women-artisans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/natura-futura-and-bamba-studio-design-las-tejedoras-center-in-ecuador-a-space-for-empowerment-connection-and-support-for-women-artisans\/","title":{"rendered":"Natura Futura and Bamba Studio design Las Tejedoras Center in Ecuador, a space for empowerment, connection, and support for women artisans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Located on the outskirts of the urban parish of\u00a0Chong\u00f3n<\/strong>, near Guayaquil, Ecuador, Las Tejedoras Community Productive Development Center was designed by\u00a0Natura Futura<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Bamba Studio<\/a>\u00a0to address the needs of a population where women, in particular, face limited opportunities for economic inclusion.<\/p>\n\n

Since 2009, the Young Living Foundation \u2014 committed to fostering community potential through education and entrepreneurship \u2014 has been running the Young Living Academy, where around 150 underprivileged children study. Many of their mothers participate in local production workshops, giving rise to the Bromelias Women Artisans Organization, focused on developing handmade textiles from natural fibers. Over time, the growing collective created a need for a new, dedicated space.<\/p>\n\n

The project emerged through a transdisciplinary collaboration between the Young Living Foundation, Bromelias, Natura Futura, and Juan Carlos Bamba, with the primary goal of creating a productive center for learning, integration, and the commercialization of artisan products \u2014 offering a permanent home for women weavers to practice their craft.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Building processes as learning tools<\/h2>\n\n\n

From the start, the construction process was conceived as a tool for skill-building and social insertion. Several hands-on construction workshops were organized with members of the community and families from the academy, fostering local development and environmental awareness.<\/p>\n\n

The design features a central courtyard planted with endemic vegetation, conceived as a meeting point and exhibition space, framed by two lateral wings and a central nave.<\/p>\n\n\n

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One wing houses theoretical classrooms, a caf\u00e9, and restrooms; the opposite wing includes practical workshops, sleeping areas, storage, and a shop selling products crafted in the central nave \u2014 the heart of artisan production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Architecture rooted in place and community<\/h2>\n\n\n

The building\u2019s front fa\u00e7ade is a productive-exhibition gallery that serves both as a filter to the patio and as an open gesture toward the street, while the rear fa\u00e7ade closes off for greater security.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The main structural system is built with round teak wood \u2014 a material traditionally used for stilt houses in vulnerable regions due to its strength and durability \u2014 supporting the roof and upper floor decking.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The walls, made of brickwork laid in a herringbone pattern, gain rigidity through the interlocked construction method. Foldable wooden lattice doors manage ventilation, light, and the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Located near the rapid urban expansion of Guayaquil, the project offers a counter-narrative: it prioritizes community needs and biodiversity, reintroducing native vegetation like guarumo trees and heliconias, while creating suitable conditions for displaced birds and insects.<\/p>\n\n\n

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recent photo of the courtyard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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recent photo of the courtyard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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recent photo of the courtyard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n

Inaugurated in 2023, the center has quickly become a vital platform for economic and social progress, offering workshops on weaving and sustainable agriculture, empowering women to engage in the local economy, and strengthening ties to the natural environment.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Project<\/strong>: <\/strong>Las Tejedoras.
Architecture<\/strong>: <\/strong>Natura Futura + Juan Carlos Bamba.
Location<\/strong>: <\/strong>Chong\u00f3n, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Completion<\/strong><\/strong>: 2023
Management and Administration<\/strong>::<\/strong> Young Living Foundation.
Collaborators<\/strong>: <\/strong>Andrea Ollague, Hector Perlaza, Fundaci\u00f3n La Iguana, Bromelias, Andres Ortega.
Lead Constructor<\/strong>:<\/strong> Pablo Ponce.
Photography<\/strong>: <\/strong>JAG Studio.
Graphics<\/strong>: <\/strong>Andres Ortega, Cynthia Rosero.
Drone Photography<\/strong>: <\/strong>Escape Fotograf\u00eda.
Illustrations<\/strong>:<\/strong> Jaime Pe\u00f1a.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jos\u00e9 Fernando G\u00f3mez<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born in Babahoyo, Ecuador (1987), Jos\u00e9 Fernando G\u00f3mez holds a degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the University of Guayaquil and a master\u2019s degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Chihuahua, Mexico. Founder of the studio Natura Futura Arquitectura<\/a>, he has earned nominations from the Americas Prize and the Quito Pan-American Biennale. His work has been exhibited at the Architecture Festival in Bali, Indonesia, and the Biennale of Architecture in Valpara\u00edso, Chile.<\/p>\n\n\n

G\u00f3mez is currently researching urban decoders and the identities of satellite cities. He has won the Quito Pan-American Biennale\u2019s First Prize multiple times (2016, 2018, and 2020) and, alongside Juan Carlos Bamba, received the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize for Las Tejedoras Center.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Juan Carlos Bamba<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Juan Carlos Bamba<\/strong> is an architect from the Technical School of Architecture of Seville and holds an International Ph.D. in Advanced Architectural Projects from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He currently teaches Architectural Design and directs the LabVIS research group at the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founder of Bamba Studio<\/strong>, Bamba has created projects like Caba\u00f1\u00f3n DLPM<\/em>, winner of the Arquia\/Pr\u00f3xima Award in 2022 and the International Prize at the 2016 BAQ. Together with Natura Futura, he co-designed Las Tejedoras<\/em>, winning both the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize and the Construmat Awards Sustainability Prize in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources: Bamba Studio. Natura Futura. Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize<\/p>\n\n\n

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Natura Futura<\/strong>
Jos\u00e9 Fernando G\u00f3mez
<\/strong>naturafuturarq.com<\/a>
@naturafuturarq<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Bamba Studio<\/strong>
Juan Carlos Bamba
<\/strong>@bambastudioarq<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently awarded by The Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, Las Tejedoras aspires to become a space that fosters productive development, connecting unemployed women through active participation, the revitalization of local artisan techniques, and the promotion of learning as a tool for empowerment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[624],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[249],"class_list":["post-17672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture"],"authors":[{"term_id":249,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"amoratinos","display_name":"Ex\u00e1gono","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/95418ef5af1f1a520d5386cfe82ba253c88665f94a4343ec69a36d8df034ab4b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17672"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=17672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}