Japanese project wins design contest for Ecuador's National Museum

A Japanese architectural project, 'Living Strata,' has won the design competition for Ecuador's new National Museum (MuNa). The decision came after the government rejected an initial winning proposal from a Spanish-Ecuadorian team, which had faced criticism on social media.

Roberto Luque, Ecuador's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, announced that 'Living Strata,' led by SANAA-A0-CPA-JHS, secured first place with 81.7 points. This score combined 85% from a technical jury evaluation and 15% from citizen voting. Luque thanked the over 50,000 Ecuadorians who participated in the vote and the ten architectural firms involved, emphasizing that the new museum will become a cultural and architectural icon for Quito, Ecuador, and the region.

The winning Japanese design envisions the MuNa as a series of superimposed layers connecting history, culture, and landscape. Its horizontal forms represent the stratification of time, while vertical voids and courtyards link different levels, drawing inspiration from ancestral gathering spaces. This project was initially ranked third among 17 proposals in an earlier stage.

The selection process was contentious. The government had previously rejected the 'Ecos del sol' proposal by Madrid and Quito-based firm Campo Baeza + MAODA. This rejection occurred amidst social media criticism and the resignations of Vice Minister of Culture Romina Muñoz and museum director Carlos Montalvo. The new MuNa will be built in northern Quito with an investment of $100 million, aiming to house and preserve 1.2 million cultural artifacts spanning 12,000 years of history.

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From today, we begin a new stage. We will not only build a museum, we will build a cultural and architectural icon for Quito, for Ecuador, and for the entire region.