Real-estate investors Arquitectonica, Uribe & Schwarzkopf turned to Marcel Wanders and London-based cross-disciplinary studio Wanders & Yoo for the interior design project of Oh! Quito, a residential complex encompassing 19-storey towers currently under construction in the Ecuadorian capital.
The architectural project has a clear focus on sustainability, with green used as a means of thermal insulation and to reduce the heat-island effect. Shady areas have been created on the facades to combat the strength of the sun’s rays, while energy consumption is to be kept under close control. Working around the same theme, the design project for the indoor and outdoor spaces, rooms and communal spaces of the complex is inspired by the themes of gardens, local flora and other natural elements such as fire, earth and air.
Marcel Wanders’s signature style is there for all to see in the way he transforms every inch of the space into a story, combining and updating “poetry, fantasy and romanticism from different eras”. Flowers and vegetation are the common theme here, upholding the general style concept behind the complex whilst helping to regulate the climate and acoustics. There are plenty of surprises, with green terraces, cascades of trailing plants, living walls and secret gardens populating both the private and communal areas, which have been designed to become extensions of the rooms, places it is hoped will promote the creation of an urban community. The residents of the 102 apartments of varying sizes enjoy access to sports courts, an open-air cinema, spaces for parties, dinners and events, a games room and kid’s club, a swimming pool, a gym, a business centre, a co-working area and a panoramic terrace.
