Located in Ecuador’s capital of Quito in South America, the recently completed Gaia Building is proclaimed a new landmark for the city.
It comprises a total of 15,000 square metres of mixed-use space and is topped with a large rooftop garden. Altogether, the 15-storey tower merges retail on the ground floor, offices on the next four levels, and residential units above.
The building is sited at an important intersection within the city where urban elements, including a metro stop, government building, shopping mall and city park, converge.
The design and the construction process of the building utilised a repeatable pattern system to reduce the overall amount of moulds used in creating the distinctive white facade. Glass fibre reinforced concrete was sprayed directly onto the surface. The advantages of the sinuous facade material are efficiency and ease of installation.
A system of adjustable metallic connections allows the complex forms to align easily. Deep balconies are carved around the perimeter of the scheme to reduce solar gain in the interior spaces and simultaneously allow larger portions of glass to be used without sacrificing passive climate-controlled spaces.
As the first new high-rise in the area, the building attempts to combine many diverse existing elements through a design that brings new reflections and points of view.
