Pamba Bike Park in Ascázubi

About

The location is Ascázubi, in the Ecuadorian province of Pichincha, at the foot of Pambamarca Hill. The project was to provide a welcoming space for cyclists traveling the Andean trails and needing shelter from the variable climate of the highlands. More than an isolated building, it is designed as part of an agricultural landscape that has undergone sustained reforestation in recent decades, resulting in a natural environment crisscrossed by bicycle paths. The area preserves vestiges of olden times, such as the pucarás, defensive stone structures raised at strategic points by indigenous Andean peoples. This territorial memory inspired an architecture that seeks to merge with the surroundings without imposing itself, instead engaging in a respectful dialogue with the topography and vegetation. With a built area of 899 m², the architectural design for Pamba Bike Park revolves around a clear composition: two solid volumes of pigmented concrete emerge from the ground and structure the complex, while a lightweight wooden roof extends over them and juts outwards as an observation platform. The solid volumes contain the main facilities (reception and shop at one end, kitchen at the other), and their earthy tones reinforce the sense of rootedness in the place.