M P
MATERIAL
POLITICS
[Architecture Research Practice for]
Radical infrastructures and socio-spatial change
ATUCUCHO CULTURAL FACTORY
A construction material factory and cultural community space
Collaborators
Cofradía - youth circus collective
Al Borde Arquitectos
Atucucho Community Bank
Atucucho local government
Financing
ESRC IAA Awards
PROMETEO, Ecuador
Main Materials
Concrete cylinders
Micro concrete tiles
Eucalyptus timber
Reclaimed demolition materials
Site
Atucucho, Quito, Ecuador
Project Leader
Dr Leandro Minuchin
Designers
Al Borde Arquitectos
Aida Rodriguez-Vega
Patrick Cronin
Eira Capelán
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the teaching and dissemination of new construction techniques within the community
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engagement with the current process of physical upgrading in Atucucho through popular construction services
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the development of local financial instruments to de-commodify the process of construction.
The project seeks to amplify the social dimension of construction beyond the existing efforts of self-build, introducing instances of material production as a central facet in the chains of value linked with construction practices.
Sustained by a cooperative network which connects local governments, social organisations, neighbourhood groups and architecture institutions of academic and professional natures, this project strives to develop a platform for popular construction services in Atucucho. In a context where the construction industry is becoming increasingly concentrated and support for assisted self-build are scarce, Atucucho's Cultural Factory conforms a concrete experiment on the democratisation of popular access to construction processes.
The Factory's objectives are to conform a physical platform which allows for:
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the redistribution and socialisation of benefits derived from the construction industry
 |  Project actor description |
|---|---|
 Programmatic Area Analysis for material production |  Programmatic Area Analysis for cultural activities |
 Material Library snapshot - networks for provision of reclaimed materials in Quito |  Material Library snapshot: samples of two procured materials |
 Programmatic spatial allocations |  Initial elevations 1:100 |
 Construction of the Factory in stages |  Preparing for the build: the voluntary community effort of construction |
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