The brand-new Day Center for the Elderly is part of the Territorial Development Projects initiative endorsed by the government of Ecuador, with the objective of addressing unmet fundamental necessities, promoting societal investment, and diminishing poverty by upholding the sustainability of the socio-territorial space surrounding the power generation plants. Located in the General Proaño district, which constitutes one of the eight rural districts forming the Morona canton in the province of Morona Santiago, situated in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, the center experiences predominantly warm and humid climatic conditions.
Project Name: Tne New Day Center for the Elderly
Architecture Office: Side FX Arquitectura
Website: www.side-fx.com
Contact email: info@side-fx.com
Office Country: Ecuador
Construction completion year: 2022
Constructed area: 370m2
Location: Proano – EcuadorÇ
Additional Credits
Architects in Charge: Sebastián Benítez and José Pedro Vásconez
Design Team: Sebastián Benítez, José Pedro Vásconez and Ana Gabriela Duque
Clients: Hidroabanico S.A.
Engineering: APE Engineering, Ricardo Falcón.
Landscaping: Side FX Architecture and Gabriel Tello.
Collaborators: Paul Sarmiento, Kirman Vega.
Our assigned task was to substitute the existing infrastructure of the Elderly Day Center, which resembled more of a storage facility rather than a care center. Our novel, respectable infrastructure provides the elderly with an improved quality of life by granting them access to group activities and healthcare professionals, thereby leading to a more meaningful and productive day.
The facility is a one-story structure that enables safe and comfortable usage for the elderly patrons. It encompasses a medical and dental clinic, a versatile room and workshop, an administrative section, a kitchen, and dining area catering to 40 individuals, restrooms, and storage spaces.
The project is situated on a communal property owned by the municipality, where several public edifices of diverse purposes were already in existence. The redesigned U-shaped structure incorporates these preexisting buildings along with their associated services. The new Elderly Day Center and the existing structure housing the headquarters of the Autonomous Government of Proaño encompass an inner courtyard that welcomes visitors upon crossing the entrance threshold. This courtyard serves as a space for reflection and leisure.
The arrangement of the volumes positions the building itself as the demarcation line between the public and private zones, offering security and protection to those within while simultaneously encouraging passersby to make use of the front plaza. Conversely, the roof, inspired by the architectural styles found in the surrounding area, serves as a marker for the entrance and highlights each distinct section.
The proposed architecture is characterized by its authenticity, austerity, and integrity, ensuring that each material possesses its own mode of expression and, when combined, successfully reinterprets the local architecture and its constituent elements.
