Al Borde

Al Borde (2007), architecture firm based in Quito, Ecuador. Formed by David Barragán, Pascual Gangotena, Maríaluisa Borja and Esteban Benavides. It inhabits the territory of questioning, where certainties about what architecture should or should not be are under constant construction. Its ideas are developed in the making, and with greater precision and detail on site.

It pursues an architecture whose aesthetics are conscious of the energy expended in its construction. It is seemingly effortless, where the way materials are joined together is clear and logical. An architecture that is open to the active participation of the users in the design and construction process. Where everyone can see the problem solved, without the pretense of meeting the project's requirements. The design centers the discussion on the sustainability of life (resources, co-responsibility, consumption, gender, and social inequality). 

It builds with the resources and techniques of the place, where the territory is always a particular and unique variable. The projects become an x-ray of the place, which speaks of the customs of the people, their history, their problems, and their needs. The willingness of the people to engage with ideas, to take risks, and to participate in decision-making is reflected in the diversity of the projects.