La Balsanera Productive Floating House

Expanding design practices, Juan Carlos Bamba, Middle Density, Natura Futura Arquitectura, Politics and economics, Project, Southern Coexistences

Artisan techniques, Cultural identity, Cultural Urbanization, Dealing with Nature, Ecuador, Global South, Participation, Passive ventilation, Scarcity, Social dynamics, Social Inclusion, Urban policies

Several centuries ago, the Babahoyo River in Ecuador, with its floating houses, was one of the main storage and rest points on the trade route taken by merchants and farmers between the cities of Guayaquil and Quito. Today, the river is no longer used as a trade route, and the number of floating structures has fallen from 200 to 25, putting them at risk of extinction, despite being recognized as intangible human heritage in Ecuador.