As part of its annual guide on where to travel in the upcoming year, Condé Nast Traveler named Quito, Ecuador on its list of the best places to go in Central and South America in 2024. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, makes the list for its new architecture – including the BIG-designed IQON – and new metro system debuting at the end of 2023.
“The city’s mile-high skyline got a lot higher thanks to the work of architects like Bjarke Ingels Group, whose 32-story IQON tower (completed in 2022) is now the city’s tallest. It’s just one of several projects to come from Ecuadorian development firm Uribe Schwarzkopf, in its ongoing effort to mature the ancient Andean city into an unlikely new hub of contemporary architecture,” writes Adam Graham.
Traditionally a sprawling city of dense low-rise buildings, the skyline of Quito was re-imagined following the relocation of the city-center airport over a decade ago. With the skyline able to grow upwards for the first time, Uribe Schwarzkopf worked with BIG to realize a new contemporary identity for the city. The 130-meter, 32-story IQON stands as the tallest residential building in the Ecuadorian capital, designed as a vertical community and an extension of the neighboring La Carolina Park.
