SEOUL DESIGN AWARD

Babahoyo, a village in Ecuador has been facing significant socioeconomic vulnerabilities arising from unemployment, instability, and insufficient infrastructure. These challenges are compounded by the coastal region’s high flood risk, creating an urgent need for sustainable living models.

Driven primarily by women and youth, the La Panificadora project was conceived as a rural development initiative to address these conditions. Through building a multifunctional communal space that integrates education, production, and commerce, the project aims to foster self-reliance, strengthen local knowledge, and restore the foundations of community life.

The project consists of two modular buildings that house a bakery workshop, a small library, a communal kitchen, and a sales area. The structures are elevated to mitigate flood risk and constructed using teak wood and traditional materials, thereby minimizing reliance on metal and concrete. Open galleries and lattice doors enable natural ventilation and lighting, reducing the need for mechanical cooling and standing for principles of sustainable architecture.

More than a physical structure, La Panificadora functions as a community platform where learning, production, and exchange intersect. Residents acquire baking skills, and the bread and beverages produced are reinvested into the local economy through sales. Governance and operational frameworks are jointly shaped by local authorities and community leaders, positioning the project as both a learning space for youth and a locus of social cohesion.

This model extends beyond Babahoyo itself. It holds potential for replication in other Ecuadorian coastal communities facing infrastructural limitations and climate vulnerability, and more broadly, as a sustainable alternative for rural development and community self-sufficiency.