Diseño Arquitectónico de un Centro de Interpretación Etnobotánico en el Parque OMAERE en la ciudad de Puyo, Pastaza

Abstract

This thesis addresses the Architectural Design of the Ethnobotanical Interpretation Center at Parque Omaere, located in the city of Puyo, Pastaza province. The research emerges in response to the progressive erosion of Amazonian biocultural knowledge, a condition stemming from the absence of specialized infrastructure for the communication and dissemination of this heritage, the growing disconnection between the urban fabric and its natural surroundings, and the loss of vernacular architectural identity as an expression of Amazonian dwelling. The study adopts a qualitative approach with a descriptive scope, grounded in a methodology that integrates bioclimatic sity anylis, surbey and interviews with key stakeholders, typological analysis of the vernacular architecture of the Kiwcha, Shuar and Waorani nationalities, and the examination of architectural references at both projectual and functional levels. The triangulation of these sources constituted the central methodological contribution, enabling the convergence of findings into design criteria that ultimately shaped the project’s strategies. The proposal originates from a reinterpretation of Amazonian vernacular constructive principles, without formally reproduction them. Building upon the reinterpretation design strategies are incorporated to structure a pedagogical sequence from introductory to experimental articulated by a central circular hearth (fogón) as the symbolic and social nucleus of the project, reinterpreting the essence of Amazonian dwelling. The Amazonian chakra is integrated as natural cooling system through vegetative strata, while the use of bamboo ensures passive hygrothermal comfort. The project thus operates as a mediating device between the city and the forest, preserving and transmitting Amazonian ethnobotanical memory through a contextually meaningful architecture