The Ateliers Jean Nouvel's most recent work saw the high-profile French architect's firm drawing inspiration from the surrounding landscape and this is also the case with the up-and-coming Aquarela. Located in Quito, Ecuador, the project consists of a series of greenery covered residential high-rises that are meant to echo the topography of nearby mountains.
The first phase of Aquarela has now been completed and consists of three high-rises and the complex's communal amenities. Another six towers are due to be finished by 2023. Each contains between seven and 10 floors and is finished in a stone facade that's softened with local plants and flowers. Once completed, Aquarela will contain a total of 573 residences with one, two, and three bedrooms, and a large outdoor terrace areas filled with plants. The amenities are also significant, as you'd expect in a luxury residential project.
"The complex of towers has an interior courtyard that is designed to feel like a mountain pass with more than 1,000 sq m [roughly 10,000 sq ft] of vertical gardens, and it is through this area that many of the amenities are reachable," says the press release. "As residents begin to move into the first few towers, all communal amenities are complete, including an ice skating rink, bowling alley, music room, a mini golf course, multiple screening rooms, kids and teen rooms, game room, mini-soccer field, squash and outdoor tennis courts, an semi-Olympic-sized pool, and Jacuzzis with spa with a sauna and steam room."
It would be a bit of a push to call this big stone development environmentally friendly, though it does have some energy efficient design to mitigate its carbon footprint. Local workers and materials are being used, with a focus on natural light and shading. Rainwater will be stored and used for irrigation, and energy efficient heat pump heating and cooling systems are being installed.
The project is being created in collaboration with Humboldt Arquitectos and Alberto Medem. Uribe Schwarzkopf, which recently completed the Unique tower, also in Quito, is handling interior design.
Sources: Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Uribe Schwarzkopf, Residencias Aqualera
