Diseño de un anteproyecto de un centro cultural en la parroquia de Pilahuín del cantón Ambato

Abstract

This thesis develops the preliminary design of a community cultural center in the parish of Pilahuín, Ambato canton, based on a contemporary reinterpretation of vernacular construction principles. The study arises from the need for more suitable spaces for cultural, community, and educational activities, considering that the parish still maintains practices related to dance, gastronomy, reading, local memory, and the transmission of knowledge, although many of these activities still take place in insufficient or poorly conditioned spaces. The research followed a qualitative, design-oriented approach, combining direct observation, photographic documentation, precedent analysis, comparative lot assessment, and semi-structured interviews with actors linked to parish management, cultural promotion, territorial planning, and architecture. This process made it possible to identify the community’s spatial needs and the physical, territorial, and cultural criteria that should guide the proposal. The study also examined Pilahuín’s vernacular architecture, identifying principles such as stone bases, lighter upper systems, protective roofs, and intermediate spaces, later reinterpreted in the project without literally reproducing the traditional dwelling. As a result, the proposal includes reception, a multipurpose hall, an interior exhibition space, a dance workshop, a traditional cooking workshop, a reading and memory area, classrooms, administrative spaces, and active outdoor areas such as a courtyard, stepped seating, terraced gardens, and an accessible terrace, seeking a coherent relationship with the territory and the community life of Pilahuín.