Casa San Sebastián involved different construction processes: rehabilitation, reconstruction, and new construction in a building from the 1930s that caught fire and a large part of it was destroyed. We considered important to recover the original construction and rebuild the affected area, adapting eight apartments and three commercial premises.Casa San Sebastián is located on the most important street in the city: Bolívar Street, the central axis of the Historic Center, where the most important parade in Cuenca’s popular culture takes place every year, on December 24th: El Pase del Niño Viajero. This event is known worldwide and is part of Cuenca’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. The residents of this condominium can enjoy this important and wonderful event from their balconies.Its location is strategic, as it is four blocks from Parque Calderón and one block from the most picturesque square in the city: Plaza San Sebastián, where one can find Cuenca’s Museum of Modern Art and a series of cafes and small restaurants that make the neighborhood an intimate and very special place.The original construction keeps the adobe, wood, and brick elements, with colorful handcrafted tiles on the patios.In contrast, in the new construction, the interior of the building is predominantly white and large glass panels bring natural light into the apartments.The communal areas are made up of a central patio, a covered terrace, and an outdoor terrace with a magical view of the city.

Publications: The Global Edition oft he New York Times – The Forecast – Construcción & Diseño, Revista Vistazo – Habitar, Revista Vanguardia.