Possible futures for the Central University of Equador’s student residency: A methodological approach for it’s renovation

Abstract

In recent years, the Modern Movement has begun to view itself from the perspective of conservation, fostering debate on the redefinition and progressive expansion of the concept of heritage. Although Ecuador has begun to closely examine its inheritance, the recording and brief study of these contributions has made it impossible to preserve iconic buildings, which has led to undiscerning interventions, abandonment or even demolition. The Central University of Ecuador ́s (UCE) Student Residence, an iconic project of the Ecuadorian Modern Movement, is one of the examples of how a series of similarly important projects is in a deteriorated state with no clear prospects for its recovery. This article presents a methodological process to propose alternative futures regarding its conservation, whose potential lies not only in the architectural value. The UCE Residence is part of a context in which, along with a series of foreign influences, modernization begins to embrace Quito (like other Latin American cities) in the midst of a series of cultural conflicts, political transitions and economic fluctuations that are reflected in the buildings. The objective of this article is to provide general guidelines through research, analysis and synthesis, in the face of the discussion on the UCE Student Residence as an important witness to the history of Ecuador. The process is divided into three phases: a) knowledge, which involves research and architectural and multidisciplinary documentation; b) reflection and design, a result of the previous phase that generates discussion tools; and c) decision making, structured as a discussion about the ethical and aesthetic possibilities of the intervention on the object of study.