Studio Blur Designs Quito Arts School Inspired by Le Corbusier's Ozenfant House

Studio Blur, a local design practice, has completed a new visual arts building for the Cardinal Spellman Salesian Bilingual School in Quito, Ecuador. The 142-square-meter concrete structure, which opened in 2024, features a distinctive sawtooth roof and is situated on a 3-acre campus that also includes existing classroom, church, and gymnasium facilities. The three-story wedge-shaped building was designed to revitalize and connect the campus through adjacent green space. The architectural concept draws inspiration from Le Corbusier's 1922 house and studio for artist Amédée Ozenfant in Paris, a modernist work that has influenced numerous architects. Studio Blur explained that the reference aims to echo the foundational qualities of that earlier design. Natural lighting plays a central role in the building, creating varied atmospheres for different activities throughout the day. The layout is organized around a diagonal axis, with a basement containing service areas overlooking a stepped garden. The ground floor houses a graphic design classroom with controlled openings for optimal light and ventilation while reducing external noise. The top floor features a painting studio illuminated by a large window bay and three sawtooth skylights that provide diffused light. Floors are connected by a rounded double-run staircase with white speckled terrazzo, linking the new arts wing to the existing classroom building. The exterior is finished in exposed concrete that expresses the interior form and structural logic, utilizing post-tensioned slabs to create open classroom spaces. The studio noted that this concrete system addresses structural challenges and minimizes long-term maintenance. Interior floors are subtly raked: natural wood in the graphic design room and soft grey in the painting studio, cascading toward teaching or display areas. Studio Blur emphasized that the project's success lies in its connection with the students, prioritizing experiential richness through intentional light, quality materials, and spatial proportions. Other recent public projects in Quito include a mountain biker pavilion by URLO Studio, a children's play area in a historic factory museum by Morphism, and a restaurant with a reflective ceiling by Felipe Escudero. Photography for the project was handled by JAG Studio.