Al Borde on Co-Building a Library in the Amazon | In Focus: Transformation

Al Borde is an architecture practice based in Quito, Ecuador, led by Pascual Gangotena, Maríaluisa Borja, David Barragán, and Esteban Benavides. Acclaimed for its adaptable resourcefulness and attention to local context, the collective has developed its distinctive approach through their numerous projects designed in collaboration with communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Yuyarina Pacha library is located in the Huaticocha community, in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. With its name translating “Space-Time to Think” from Kichwa, a regional language, the structure aims to support a more holistic model of learning than formal education spaces allow, offering both a setting for hands-on workshops and a meeting space for the community. Employing traditional materials and construction practices, the structure is a living archive of local knowledge, standing as a testament to a building culture that emerges from a deep connection with the environment and to the resilience of rural communities. This presentation was recorded at The World Around In Focus: Transformation program, which brought together speakers from a broad range of cultural disciplines, including architects, researchers, worldbuilders, and artists whose work invited more equitable and sustainable ways of inhabiting the planet. Taking place at LA’s Hammer Museum in 2026, the program was curated by Beatrice Galilee, founder and executive director of The World Around, and Béatrice Grenier, director of strategic projects and international programs at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.