CCB Building — Handcrafted mixed-use corner in historic Cuenca.
A compact corner building in Cuenca, Ecuador that combines retail, housing, and community space. Entirely handcrafted with local materials, it honours Andean masonry traditions while embracing contemporary urban life.
Project Overview
CCB Building is a four-storey mixed-use project situated at Aurelia Cordero Street and Pichincha Avenue. The 180 m² plot demanded a precise negotiation between commercial use, housing, and public space. A sculpted setback generates a semi-public threshold that filters city noise and invites neighbours in, while handcrafted brick walls and pine ceilings ground the project in local making.
- Typology: Mixed-use (retail + residential)
- Location: Cuenca, Ecuador
- Status: Built
- Year: 2018
Spatial Strategy
The handcrafted masonry façade is monolithic yet permeable: brick elements are reinterpreted as linear bands that open up to frame Mount Cabogana and the historic centre. The corner is recessed to form a semi-public plaza that filters the bustle of Pichincha Avenue. Inside, pine wood from Sinincay is used for structure, cladding, furniture, windows, and staircases—revealing the spatial logic of the roof while supporting local supply chains and artisan labour.
Credits
Project by Proyectual Studio. The building was realised with a network of local artisans and builders from Cuenca, highlighting the value of collective craftsmanship and place-based knowledge.