Studio Blur models Quito arts school after Le Corbusier house
Local design practice Studio Blur has created a concrete building with a sawtooth roof for the visual arts department of a school in Quito, Ecuador.
Known as Aulas de Arte at the Unidad Educativa Cardenal Spellman, or the Visual Arts Building at the Cardinal Spellman Salesian Bilingual School, the 142-square metre (1,528-square foot) project opened in 2024 on a 3-acre plot that already contained a classroom building, church and gymnasium.
The three-storey, wedge-shaped building allowed for an adjacent green space that reinvigorated and reconnected the campus.
Studio Blur's design was informed by modernist architect Le Corbusier's design for the house and studio of Amédée Ozenfant, a 1922 Paris building that has inspired architects such as Juan O'Gorman and David Chipperfield.
"There must be something profound in that foundational work that continues to justify its study," the studio told Dezeen.
"We hope that through this reference, one may discern an echo of what our art building aspires to be – and perhaps, a trace of that inspiration which once guided us."
Like the Ozenfant House, the arts building is driven by natural lighting that creates unique atmospheres for different activities at distinct times.
"This dynamic interaction between light and architectural structure generates rich environments that enhance the sensory experience while reinforcing the narrative," the studio said, explaining that the monolithic concrete structure and strategic openings allowed it to animate the building from the thresholds.
The plan is organised around a diagonal axis with a basement containing service spaces that look up and out to the stepped garden. The ground floor contains a graphic design classroom with controlled openings that maximise natural light and ventilation while minimising external noise.
Meanwhile, the crowning upper level houses a painting studio with diffused, homogeneous light that filters into the space through a large bay of windows and three saw-toothed skylights.
Each of the floors is connected by a rounded double-run staircase that loops across the intersection of the arts wing and the classroom building, bridging the new and old structures with white, speckled terrazzo.
The exterior of the building is exposed concrete, expressing the interior form and structural logic. Two post-tensioned slabs leave the interior of the classrooms open for use.
"The exposed concrete structural system not only addresses the project's structural challenges and trapezoidal floor plan but also minimizes long-term maintenance costs," the team explained.
The natural wood floors of the graphic design classroom and soft grey floors of the painting studio are subtly raked, cascading down to a teaching or display area.
"The project's greatest success lies in its genuine connection with the children who inhabit it," the studio said.
"By prioritizing experiential richness – through intentional natural light, quality materials and carefully calibrated spatial proportions – the architecture became an integral part of their daily lives and learning."
Other public projects recently completed in Quito include a hillside pavilion for mountain bikers by URLO Studio, a children’s play area in a museum placed in a historic factory by Morphism and a restaurant with a rippled, reflective ceiling by Felipe Escudero.
The photography is by JAG Studio.
Project credits:
Architect: Studio Blur
Contractor: Studio Blur
Project team: Aurelio Peñaherrera, Juan Sebastián Cardona, Darwin Sánchez
Structural engineer: Momentum
Mechanical engineer: HYDROGROUP
Electrical engineer: IESCO
Client: Sociedad de Madres Salesianas
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