Chaki Wasi, handicrafts center of the community of Shalalà
by La Cabina de la curiosidad
Shalalà, Ecuador
Project details
Year
2025
project year
2024
building area
350 m²
project website
Location
Team credits
architects
- La Cabina de la curiosidad -
Marie Combette,
Daniel Moreno Flores.
community
Nancy Tigasi,
Cesar Pastuña,
Humberto Pilatacsi.
contributing partners
Patricio Cevallos,
Wladimir Males,
Juan Alberto Andrade,
Cuqui Rodriguez,
Tatiana Santander,
Yakunina,
INPC.
commissioned by
Community of Shalalà
Shalalá is a highland community perched on the edge of Quilotoa, an active volcanic crater with turquoise waters that has become one of Ecuador’s most visited natural landmarks. The 132 farming families who live there depend on small-scale agriculture and tourism. As visitor numbers increased, unregulated development began to reshape the area, often disregarding community control or ecological care. In response, the people of Shalalá, together with the Quito-based collective La Cabina de la Curiosidad, envisioned Chaki Wasi – ‘House of the Hand’ in Quechua – as a way to reconcile tourism with tradition.
Rather than build a conventional tourist facility, the community wanted a space that would welcome visitors while honouring local culture and landscape. The result is both a handicrafts centre and a community house: a place that celebrates Indigenous crafts, language and ecology through architecture.
The design process began with open assemblies where residents defined their needs – a place to display crafts, teach weaving, host gatherings and share food. The architects listened and learned from traditional builders, developing a design that was functional, symbolic and deeply connected to place. The building’s strength lies in its authenticity – a physical expression of the community’s relationship with the land.
The architecture of Chaki Wasi draws directly from the Andean highlands. Set lightly on the volcanic slope, its stone foundations root it in the terrain, while its straw and cabuya-fibre roof echoes the textures of the páramo. The long, low structure opens towards the Quilotoa Lagoon, framing the landscape as a shared horizon. Inside, a generous hall accommodates 24 flexible stalls where artisans sell textiles, ceramics and other crafts. The space functions as a communal living room – a place for learning, storytelling and celebration.
All materials were locally sourced and crafted by hand. Stones were gathered on-site, timber cut and treated by local carpenters, straw thatching woven by women and cabuya fibres harvested from agave plants to tie structural joints. The construction generated almost no waste; leftover materials were returned to the soil. Villagers, artisans and the design team built together, transforming the process into a form of collective education and empowerment.
The social and environmental impact of Chaki Wasi extends well beyond its walls. By providing a permanent venue for artisans, it creates stable income opportunities and reduces migration to cities. Training in weaving, gastronomy and tourism expands its influence, particularly empowering women and youth. Environmental education initiatives encourage care for the fragile Quilotoa ecosystem through reforestation, waste management and the cultivation of native plants.
Chaki Wasi forms part of a wider network of small interventions in Shalalá, including a lookout platform and community-managed trails. Together, they establish a regenerative model of tourism that respects natural limits and cultural continuity. The project demonstrates that progress can emerge from cooperation and local knowledge rather than extraction or displacement.
Its elegance lies in its restraint. There is no imported technology or spectacle – only a quiet confidence in what already exists. The architecture finds beauty in stone, straw, and fibre, in the rhythm of collective work and in the knowledge that every element belongs. It is both a building and a process: a conversation between people and landscape.
Through Chaki Wasi, the community of Shalalá reclaims agency over its environment and economy. Visitors encounter not a tourist attraction but a living culture that shares its traditions while renewing them for the future.
For La Cabina de la Curiosidad, the project embodies their philosophy of architecture as service – democratic, participatory and rooted in place. Founded in 2019 by architects, designers and researchers from Quito, the collective links design with cultural preservation, social cohesion and environmental stewardship. In Shalalá, they worked as collaborators rather than external experts. The process itself became an exchange of knowledge, strengthening skills and community pride.
In a world where tourism often erodes culture and exhausts resources, Chaki Wasi offers a compelling alternative. It shows that architecture can be humble yet transformative, reconnecting people with their land and traditions. Through collective action, care for the environment and respect for heritage, this project restores the dignity of making and belonging – proving that innovation in architecture begins with listening: to the community, the landscape and the wisdom that has always been there.
The prize money will fund the planned works, including a pier, food stalls, a ticket office and a nursery for native plants, alongside rainwater harvesting systems and efficient stoves. Training in waste management, environmental education and tourism will ensure that knowledge circulates and autonomy grows. All activities will remain collective, with women, men and youth building and managing the new facilities together.
- Information for the project text was provided by La Cabina de la curiosidad -
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Advisory Committee Statement
‘Chaki Wasi, handicrafts center of the community of Shalalà’ receives the award for Social Engagement because it brings dignity and cultural depth to sustainable tourism at Quilotoa Lagoon. Rooted in Indigenous Quechua traditions, it uses architecture as a tool to repair and restore the environment, showing how careful, minimal interventions can create a positive and lasting relationship between tourism and nature. The community-led approach respects ancestral knowledge while challenging negative perceptions of tourism, emphasizing architecture’s capacity to support local culture, preserve heritage and foster environmental stewardship. Continued development of visitor infrastructure sustains both people and place.