STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
Uribe Schwarzkopf
TYPOLOGY
Residential
SIZE M2/FT2
44,000 / 473,000
SHARE
After the completion of BIG’s first building in Ecuador, IQON, BIG once again joined forces with Uribe Schwarzkopf to bring a vertical neighborhood to Quito, the greenest capital in South America.
EPIQ, the 24-story mixed-use tower, is located on the southern tip of La Carolina Park in the center of the city. The shape of the site is a quarter of a circle and occupies the west corner intersection of Avenida de la Republica and Avenida Eloy Alfaro, across the street from the new Quito subway. The rounded corners of the building allow for panoramic views of the city while maximizing daylight exposure.
Site
— Located at the intersection of Avenida de la Republica and Avenida Eloy Alfaro, the site marks the southern tip of Parque La Carolina, Quito's Central Park.
Increased Height
— Due to the central location and proximity to the new subway station, the structure can be built to 24 floors, reaching a total height of 100 m.
Maximize & Preserve Views
— By rounding the edges of the floorplates, views from each floor are maximized in all directions without blocking views from neighboring buildings. As a result, the façade becomes a continuously wrapping envelope and the building has no back side.
New Pedestrian Pathway
— By carving a new pedestrian connection towards Pje. Potosi, the ground floor is organized into two volumes and a shortcut is formed between the residential neighborhood to the south and the park to the north.
Green Terraces
Porous Building
— The large, green terraces dispersed at various levels results in a porous stack of buildings within a building, Parks immediately accessible from different floors foster a sense of community among residents and preserve views towards Pichincha.
EPIQ reflects the colors and patterns of Ecuador, taking inspiration from the earth tones and herringbone pattern of tiles seen throughout the streets of Quito’s Old City, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
At its base, a pedestrian through-block connection forms a new gateway to the park and subway station. Throughout its height, soft openings are carved into the building mass to create eight distinct blocks. These ‘buildings within a building’ are connected by large, communal green terraces at different elevations.
While the façade pattern is based on the scale of the individual apartments, the red and pink hues give each volume its own identity. Together, these residential blocks form a vertical neighborhood that exemplifies a new approach to integrating outdoor space into a high-density residential building aimed at fostering a community.
BICUBIK_0528
BICUBIK_0646
Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Beat Schenk Alvaro Velosa Amir Mikhaeil Tran Le Emmett Walker Florencia Kratsman Jan Leenknegt Lorenz Krisai Lucia Sanchez Ramirez Margaret Tyrpa Veronica Acosta Megan Van Artsdalen Oliver Thomas Pauline Lavie-Luong Stephanie Hui Stephanie Mauer Terrence Chew Tracy Sodder Won Ryu Emily Chen Ziad Shehab Deb Campbell Francesca Portesine Angel Barreno Gutiérrez Anton Bashkaev Benjamin Novacinski Clara Sanfeliu Douglass Alligood Maria Sole Bravo Magdalena Narkiewicz Stephanie Choi Ace Nguyen Benjamin Caldwell Josiah Poland
COLLABORATORS
Uribe Schwarzkopf
Fernando Romo
JB&B
Rene Lagos
Geoestudios
Incoyam
Ciel Atelier
