Discover architecture in Ecuador – often overlooked, yet ‘a story worth telling’

Architecture in Ecuador mirrors the culture and landscape of the vibrant South American country. It is one of the region's smallest, yet it displays one of the richest diversities, both in terms of natural environment and the people that inhabit it. It is exactly this that attracted photographers Francesco Russo and Luca Piffaretti, who, equipped with their cameras, toured the country capturing its wealth of architecture – both historical and contemporary, but always innovative and site-appropriate.

Architecture in Ecuador with photographers Francesco Russo and Luca Piffaretti

The resulting book, Ecuador: A Journey through Architecture, Culture and Land, will be published in autumn 2026 by Park Books, and is available to pre-order through Kickstarter. We spoke with the duo to find out more about the project – from their process and exploration to challenges and surprises.

Wallpaper*: Please introduce yourselves to our readers.

Francesco Russo: We are both photographers working within the built environment. We take on commissions as architectural photographers for architects, designers, and cultural institutions. At the same time, we co-founded, together with other photographers, Mass Collective, a London-based group dedicated to documenting the built environment through a collaborative approach.

While we met in London, where I am now primarily based, Luca has recently relocated to Ticino, in southern Switzerland. Together, we are currently working on our photobook, which explores more than 20 contemporary Ecuadorian architectural projects and the contexts in which they are located.

We decided to approach this project collaboratively, drawing on our different backgrounds and interests: I have formal training as an architect and worked in practice for a few years, so I focused primarily on documenting the architectural projects themselves. Luca, with his background in history and photojournalism, approached the work in a more documentary way, focusing on the broader context in which the projects are situated, exploring the surrounding urban, natural, and social environments.

Our aim with this project is to experiment with an innovative approach to architectural documentation. By combining our two perspectives, we offer a broader view of the built environment, highlighting the context in which these projects exist, something that is often overlooked or even intentionally excluded. We want to emphasise that architecture should be made with and for people and communities, in close connection with its territory.

W*: Why Ecuador?

FR: While travelling across South America in 2022 with my wife, my itinerary included Ecuador. I didn’t know much about the country beforehand and didn’t have particularly high expectations. What I discovered, however, was an authentic and underrated country with welcoming people, often overlooked by travellers, who generally tend to limit their visit to the Galápagos Islands.

Within a territory comparable in size to the United Kingdom, Ecuador encompasses the Pacific coast, the Andes mountain range with peaks and volcanoes exceeding 6,000m, the vast Amazon rainforest, and the Galápagos archipelago with its unique biodiversity.

The country’s extraordinary diversity in geography, environments, and cultures is directly reflected in its architecture. Ecuadorian contemporary architecture is emerging within international discourse, yet it still lacks the recognition it deserves.

W*: Tell us about how you built your book. How many projects did you capture? What can the reader expect to discover?

FR/LP: After meeting several local practices to understand their work and philosophy, we selected around 40 projects from an initial list of over 120, and between two trips in 2023 and 2024, we carried out the documentation.

The result is a diverse collection of projects in terms of construction techniques, environments, budgets, and materials, reflecting the country’s remarkable variety. The photobook features a visual narrative across Ecuador’s four geographical regions, with an additional section dedicated to urban areas. Each region has a dedicated chapter highlighting its specificity before focusing more closely on around 20 selected projects. Our intent with this book is to present architecture through the lens of our direct experience: meeting communities and homeowners, and navigating the challenges of travelling across a country that we gradually came to understand more deeply.

W*: How long did it take you to capture everything?

FR/LP: In total, the project took about five months across the two trips. We drove over 7,000km and built an archive of more than 2,000 images of both the architecture and its context.

It was a significant challenge, arguably one of the toughest in our careers, not only because of the work itself but also due to the logistical complexity: coordinating schedules, securing access to often privately owned buildings, and travelling from sea level to high-altitude regions within a matter of hours. The highest project we documented was at around 5,000m, on the Chimborazo volcano – its peak is the closest point on Earth to the sun.

There are projects we would have liked to include, but couldn’t due to time and logistical constraints. This was a self-initiated project without sponsors or external backing, so we had to work within our limits. That said, we were able to accomplish most of what we set out to do, which feels like a major achievement. Returning to expand the research is something we are actively considering, especially as new projects continue to be built each year.

W*: What excited you about architecture in the country? Did you come across anything unexpected or surprising?

FR/LP: What’s most exciting is the incredible variety of projects, particularly the use of local materials, which varies significantly from region to region. Many designs reference vernacular traditions while integrating contemporary approaches, drawing on traditional construction techniques and natural materials.

We were struck by the adaptability of architecture to different climates, terrains, and contexts, as well as the ability to produce compelling designs across a wide range of budgets. We documented a school on the coast built with a budget of just $5 per square metre, as well as a luxury villa with monumental steel columns overlooking an Andean valley, and everything in between.

Coming from a European perspective, one surprising aspect was how creativity can flourish within a more relaxed regulatory framework. This is also facilitated by Ecuador’s equatorial location, which can provide a relatively stable climate throughout the year, making thermal insulation often unneeded.

W*: Speaking to architects, what did you discover about the country's key challenges?

FR/LP: Sadly, Ecuador is currently facing a number of challenges and is not in its most prosperous period. Political instability and ongoing issues related to crime are affecting the country’s development.

For example, during our second trip – when we were invited to present a photography exhibition with the works produced the previous year at the Quito Architecture Biennial (BAQ) in November 2024 – the country was experiencing an exceptionally long drought.

Since Ecuador relies heavily on hydroelectric power, this resulted in nationwide electricity shortages and daily power cuts for months. We often found ourselves wandering in the streets at night with only our phone torches [to see by]. One particularly striking moment occurred in Quito during one of the power cuts, where the only visible lights were the intense red glow of the newly opened metro stations, casting a surreal, almost dystopian atmosphere over the surrounding buildings. It was, oddly, a very visually compelling scenario.

This is just one example of the situations we encountered, highlighting a lack of organisation and structural stability on the part of the state. Many architects in Ecuador are forced to operate within this context, facing a lack of public funding and broader institutional support. As a result, they often rely on private investment or grants to realise their projects. What is remarkable is their ability to develop forms of architecture that actively seek to address social inequalities, even in the absence of centralised, state-led programmes.

However, this is only one side of the story. One of our intentions with this project is to show that there is much more to it than is typically portrayed in mainstream media. These experiences are part of the story and reflect the realities the country faces. Yet they exist in contrast with the extraordinary beauty of the landscapes and the warmth of the people we encountered, which made this journey both unique and deeply meaningful. A story worth telling, we believe.

W*: What makes Ecuador stand out architecturally in your view? How do you see its future developing?

FR/LP: Ecuador stands out for its social and environmental resilience. Its architecture, more than in many other places around the world, offers sustainable solutions by combining traditional techniques with contemporary design, addressing the climate crisis through practical and often inexpensive living strategies.

The country’s architectural scene is emerging on the international stage, and we hope this publication sheds light on a country too often overlooked while supporting the practices we worked with in gaining the recognition they deserve.

'Ecuador: A Journey through Architecture, Culture and Land' comes out in November 2026 by Park Books, and is available to pre-order here