Architecture news & editorial desk
Casa Ocal is a compact home in the Ecuadorian mountains, designed by the Quito-based architecture studio Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura. Made from locally available eucalyptus wood as well as recycled metal, the house features a gabled structure and is set in a hard-to-access location in the mountains to the north of Ecuador.
The brief for the architects was to design a 110-square-metre house within a limited budget in a remote location in the Ecuadorian mountains. Respecting the vernacular architecture of the mountainous region, the architects decided to keep the design simple and minimise disruption to the natural landscape.
Casa Ocal is a eucalyptus-wood house in the Ecuadorian mountains
The Ecuadorian architecture practice used eucalyptus wood and recycled metal for the gabled structure.
Casa Ocal is in the Ecuadorian Andes
Casa Ocal is raised on pilotis to allow rainwater to flow unobstructed down the hill beneath the house. The stilts also allowed for the creation of a level ground floor without any laborious and costly excavation.
Its gable end faces down the slope and is formed of a large covered porch that frames views of the mountains.
The house is raised on small stilts
Because of the difficulties presented by the location, the architects decided to whittle their design down to the simplest of forms and build it in a modular fashion.
monday. a thunderbolt from the u.s. supreme court today on immigration. as of 10:30 eastern time this morning, the court said arizona police can officially demand proof from the people they pull over. proof that they are in this country legally. so what does this mean for the hispanic population across america and what about the other provisions of the law that the court sets down? our team is on this story tonight. abc s terry moran at the court. david wright on the streets of arizona. terry lead us off right now. reporter: diane, this is it the 25 page opinion that that plunged right into the white heart center of the detail of the illegal immigration in this country. something of a split decision really-afterwards, both sides declared victory pointing to different parts of the opinion. show me your papers. that s the most controversial part of arizona s law, and it empowers police during any routine stop to check a person s immigration status. that provision was uphe