A Community Weaving Center in Rural Ecuador Wins Fifth MCHAP. emerge Award
Community Production Center Las Tejedoras, a textile workspace-cum-community hub built from local materials for a collective of craftswomen in Chongón, Ecuador, has been named as the fifth recipient of the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize for Emerging Practice (MCHAP.emerge). The honor is presented biennially by the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) as part of its larger MCHAP award program. Designed by José Fernando Gómez of Ecuadorian studio Natura Futura in collaboration with Juan Carlos Bamba, the center was selected from a shortlist of four projects, narrowed down from a nominee pool of more than 50 built works. In addition to Ecuador, this prize cycle’s shortlisted finalist practices hailed from Mexico, Argentina, and Peru.
Speaking on behalf of his peers, MCHAP jury chair Maurice Cox praised the winning project for being “infused with civic presence capable of dignifying the entire community” and noted how the building was designed to serve as a “teaching tool.”
“The project not only provides employment in the community but also facilitates skill development through active participation in the construction process,” added Cox. “Notably, the structure stands as a physical symbol of community, reflecting the contributions of the local women in its construction.”
Photo © Studio JAG
Commissioned by Utah-based philanthropic group the Young Living Foundation, Community Production Center Las Tejedoras is a safe, supportive space for women weavers to produce and showcase their craft in the absence of any similar venue in a rural area on the far outskirts of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. Incorporating materials such as teak and clay brick, the naturally ventilated building is anchored by a spacious, lushly planted central patio, or courtyard, which serves as a natural gathering space and fosters local biodiversity in a region ravaged by deforestation. Surrounding the courtyard are training areas, workshops, and community rooms. There’s also a shop. Since opening in 2023, the center’s workshops on weaving and sustainable agriculture have drawn women from surrounding villages; regularly held cultural events and community gatherings have also proved popular.
“Acknowledging the significance of the community's local building practices, the project gives formal expression to local crafts and elevates their qualities,” said Cox.
Photo © Studio JAG
Community Production Center Las Tejedoras was named winner of MCHAP.emerge Cycle 5 at a September 27 awards ceremony held at the conclusion of the inaugural Conference on Critical Practice at IIT. The multi-day conference brought together the four MCHAP.emerge finalists (all on-hand to give presentations), the prize jury, students and faculty, and special guests for a series of lectures, panel discussions, and keynotes focused on “ecology, technology, agency, and generational shifts.” Among the special guests were Canadian architect and philanthropist Phyllis Lambert, who received the MCHAP Luminary Award, and Román Meyer Falcón, a Mexican politician who serves as Secretary of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development. He received the inaugural MCHAP Phyllis Lambert Agent of Excellence Award.
Photos © Studio JAG
As the latest MCHAP.emerge laureates, Gómez and Bamba will receive the award itself, an MCHAP research professorship leading a studio in the College of Architecture at IIT, and funding for a related publication. Past laurates include PRODUCTORA (2016), Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura (2018), Taller Capital (2022), and 2014 winner Pezo von Ellrichshausen, whose cofounder, Sofia von Ellrichshausen is serving on this MCHAP’s cycle jury alongside Cox, Gregg Pasquarelli, Mauricio Rocha, and Giovanna Borasi.
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