RA House by Bernardo Bustamante Arquitectos

 Architects: Bernardo Bustamante Arquitectos 

Rethinking Housing During the Pandemic

RA House, designed by Bernardo Bustamante Arquitectos, emerged during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when families around the world were re-evaluating their living conditions, the project addressed new priorities in residential architecture: flexible workspaces, outdoor connections, spaces for family well-being, and areas dedicated to caring for older generations.

The house reflects a shift away from the compact city paradigm, where social life is concentrated in public spaces, and instead reclaims the home as a central environment for everyday life, work, and leisure.1

Program and Dual Living Concept

The project was designed for a family of four — a couple with two daughters — alongside a secondary residence for the grandparents. The program includes:

• A main house of 220 m² with direct access to gardens and social spaces.
• A secondary apartment at half the size, offering independence and privacy for the grandparents.
• Ample parking and storage areas integrated within the sloped site.

This dual housing strategy promotes intergenerational living, ensuring proximity without compromising privacy.

Topography as a Design Tool

The sloped 600 m² site in Lumbisi, Ecuador, played a key role in the design. The architects took advantage of the double-sloping terrain to organize the program efficiently:

• The front portion houses the parking and the secondary apartment, benefiting from an exclusive garden.
• The upper portion contains the main house, with direct access to a large rear garden and a recreational pool.
• Bedrooms step down with the slope, maintaining privacy and staggered connections to outdoor areas.

The master bedroom sits slightly elevated, offering both views and seclusion through its terrace.

Form and Structure

The house’s trapezoidal footprint mirrors the morphology of the terrain. Positioned five meters back from the street, it creates a front garden while maximizing space for the larger rear garden.

Local building ordinances allowed the architects to occupy the full width of the lot by extruding the roof to four meters at all vertices. This generated a roof profile that echoes the natural slopes of the site.

The structure relies on simple but effective systems:

• Lateral reinforced concrete walls paired with a retaining wall.
• Metal beams and a lightweight roof, enabling large open spans.
• A brick façade, hand-laid with special bonds to create lattices, regulate natural light, and ensure ventilation.

Materiality and Atmosphere

The construction employs traditional Ecuadorian materials — concrete, brick, and steel — combined in a way that feels both contemporary and rooted in context. The handmade brick skin not only adds warmth but also modulates light and privacy.

Blending with the surrounding vegetation, RA House achieves a discreet presence from the street while offering high-quality interior spaces filled with natural light and cross-ventilation.

A Contemporary Approach to Family Living

More than a house, RA House embodies a post-pandemic vision of domestic life — one that prioritizes flexibility, health, intergenerational coexistence, and connection to nature.

It stands as an example of Ecuadorian contemporary architecture that respects topography, embraces traditional materials, and redefines the role of housing in modern life.

All photographs are works of  BICUBIK