House of Three Generations
A coastal residence in Salinas, Ecuador that weaves three independent homes around a shared garden, balancing privacy, climate comfort, and collective life.
Project Overview
Three homes. One courtyard. A place where three generations live together but separately. The garden is the heart. Trees grow there. Paths of stone run through. You sit outside. You gather. Inside, brick walls. Exposed concrete. Wood from the region. The rooms are generous. The windows are large. You see the garden from inside. You can hear the birds. Each house has its own entrance. Its own kitchen. Its own life. But the courtyard connects them. A grandfather lives here. Her daughter lives there. The grandchildren live in the third. They share the garden. They share the meals on Sundays. They live alone together.
- Typology: Residential — three-family house
- Location: Salinas, Ecuador
- Status: Built
- Year: 2021
Spatial Strategy
The courtyard is organized around existing trees. You don't cut them down. You build around them. The paths follow the land. Not straight. Not rigid. They wind. They pause. They create small places to sit. To rest. The three homes open to the courtyard. Each one different. One faces east. Another faces south. The third faces west. This way, the light moves around the courtyard all day. In the morning it's bright here. By afternoon it's bright there. The roofs are stepped. Lower toward the patio. Higher at the edges. Rain falls toward the garden. The garden drinks it all. There are covered walks between the homes. You can go from one to another without the sun. Without the rain. You are outside but protected. You can see the others. But you are in your own world.
Credits
Project by Proyectual Studio in collaboration with local builders and artisans in Salinas. The house celebrates the climate, material culture, and intergenerational dynamics of coastal Ecuador.
Photography by Christian Corral.