Las Tejedoras Community Productive Center in Guayaquil
Natura Futura Arquitectura  Juan Carlos Bamba 

Las Tejedoras Community Productive Center in Guayaquil

Natura Futura Arquitectura  Juan Carlos Bamba 


With a population of approximately 4,900 people, the majority of whom are women with few chances of finding themselves a niche in the work force, the urban community of Chongón has since 2009 benefited from the support of the Young Living Foundation, which through educational programs builds the potential of communities that lack resources. Thanks to this, the Organization of Bromelias Artisan Women focuses on development through fabrics handmade with natural fibers. The group has fast increased in membership, hence the need for a new space. The project has been used as an opportunity to train and insert members, through construction workshops that help to strengthen local and environmental development.

Arranged around a patio are two side sheds and a central one. They contain classrooms, workshops, a cafeteria, and a store in which the handcrafted textiles are sold. The main front is a production-exhibition gallery that acts as a filter for the patio and as an element to generate urbanity towards the street. Teak wood is used for the main structure. The brick walls present a herringbone pattern and are stiffened by the very shape of the interlocked walls.