SANAA's terracotta brick design wins National Museum of Ecuador after public backlash

Following public outcry over the original winning design by Studio Alberto Campo Baeza and MAODA, the Ecuadorian government recalled that scheme and reopened the competition. On 19 July, a curved terracotta brick proposal by SANAA in collaboration with Caá Porá Arquitectura, Estudio A0, Jerome Haferd Studio, and Taller Capital Landscape was selected as the new winner. The design, named Living Strata, originally placed third among 17 finalists. It features a system of interconnected vertical plazas wrapped in brick, with circular courtyards, pools, and planting beds. The nine-storey building will include galleries on upper floors and a lower plaza extending La Carolina Park in Quito. The design draws on pre-Columbian and post-Columbian cultures and aims to reflect all Ecuadorian people. Groundbreaking is anticipated for 2027. The project is part of a broader development along La Carolina Park, near works by BIG, Kengo Kuma, and Safdie Architects. The museum has existed under various names since the late 1960s; this iteration was catalysed under President Daniel Noboa.