{"id":317353,"date":"2026-02-26T00:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/317353\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T00:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:35:13","slug":"urlo-studio-designs-bike-shelter-on-ecuadorian-hillside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/317353\/","title":{"rendered":"URLO Studio designs bike shelter on Ecuadorian hillside"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local architecture practice Urlo Studio<\/a> has based the design of a concrete<\/a>-and-wood pavilion<\/a> for cyclists<\/a> on ancient Andean lookouts, embedding it in a sloped site outside of Quito<\/a>, Ecuador.<\/p>\n

Known as Pamba Bike Refuge, the 900-square-metre (9,675-square-foot) open-air structure serves as a shelter from the harsh Andean climate for people using the bike park that runs down Pambamarca Hill in Asc\u00e1zubi, Ecuador.<\/p>\n

The refuge is placed so that park users will naturally wander into it.<\/p>\n

\"PambaThe Pamba Bike Refuge was designed as a shelter for cyclists in the surrounding park<\/p>\n

Urlo Studio<\/a>, which has offices in Quito, Ecuador and Valencia, Spain, placed the pavilion between the earth and the forest, using tinted concrete<\/a> and a permeable wooden structure to mimic its surroundings, integrating into and engaging with the landscape rather than imposing itself on it.<\/p>\n

The monumental concrete forms were informed by the ancient architecture of the mountainous region.<\/p>\n

“The solid volumes on each side are reminiscent of ancient pucar\u00e1s \u2013 Andean stone structures that served as housing or lookout points,” the studio told Dezeen, noting that the dogtrot-like form allows for views of the mountain behind the structure and the bike tracks in front of it.<\/p>\n

\"PambaIt was made from tinted concrete and wood<\/p>\n

The concrete volumes on either end \u2013 one holding a reception area and bike shop, and the other a small restaurant cafe \u2013 bookend the resting area in the centre with picnic tables, planters and sunken seating areas.<\/p>\n

The earth-toned pigment of the concrete reinforces the idea that the refuge belongs to the land, while the metal-framed openings bring natural light into the sober interior spaces.<\/p>\n

“The openness of the structure invites riders to use a dynamic space where they can wander seamlessly between inside and outside without barriers, making it easier to move around with their bikes.”<\/p>\n

\"PambaThe central volume contains a rest space with seating<\/p>\n

Mass-timber wooden elements form the canopy structure suspended between the concrete elements, with several paved paths leading into the rest area, which is enclosed only by a waist-high glass partition wall.<\/p>\n

Beyond support, the wooden beams form porticos, giving the structure a rhythm.<\/p>\n

“The laminated-wood roof is conceived as a light and rhythmic element, composed of six robust porticos that support both front and rear overhangs, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior,” the studio said, noting that nearly-invisible tempered glass cascades down the front facade, protecting occupants from weather without breaking the visual connection to the landscape.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Sports<\/p>\n

Urlo Studio completes steel pavilion for Ecuadorian sports club\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The resilient materials will stand up against the harsh equatorial sun, rain and strong winds over time.<\/p>\n

The colourful interior vegetation \u2013 including ferns, philodendrons and yellow lilies \u2013 and warm wooden structure provide a contrast to the hard concrete. Outside, native species such as myrtle, white straw and cat’s tail trees surround the refuge.<\/p>\n

\"Low-risePlanting was added to contrast with the concrete surfaces<\/p>\n

Building on an off-grid site required the team to consider the logistics of material, personnel, water and electricity during construction \u2013 a particularly meticulous task given the project’s “tight budget”.<\/p>\n

“Throughout the design process, we learned how to make design choices that aligned with the client’s budget without harming the overall concept,” the studio said. “Working within a tight budget encouraged us to find more creative solutions, ultimately resulting in a space where riders can rest comfortably while still moving freely during their stay.”<\/p>\n

\"InteriorA reception area, bike shop and cafe is also located in the shelter<\/p>\n

Urlo Studio was founded in 2017 by Natalia Hidalgo, Francisco Moratal and Diego Puente to blur the lines between architecture, planning, building and social impact.<\/p>\n

Previously, the studio created a red-pigmented housing complex<\/a> on a triangular site in Quito and a glass and aluminium sports club<\/a> on Mocol\u00ed Island in Samborond\u00f3n, Ecuador.<\/p>\n

The photography is by JAG Studio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Project credits:<\/p>\n

Architect: Urlo Studio
Contractor: HeH Constructores
Structural engineering: AP Ingenier\u00eda Civil
Electrical engineering: Microcircuits
Sanitary engineering: RA \u2013 Respuesta Ambiental
Timber structure: Sebasti\u00e1n Ponce
Suppliers: Diacomet, ER Servicios, Maderoble, FV, Hormipisos, Hormisuelos C\u00eda. Ltda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local architecture practice Urlo Studio has based the design of a concrete-and-wood pavilion for cyclists on ancient Andean…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317354,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,98410,1806,4741,308,24780,93,61,60,137101,814,815,134883,112,1132],"class_list":{"0":"post-317353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-coloured-concrete","13":"tag-concrete","14":"tag-cycling","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-ecuador","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-quito","21":"tag-sectionall","22":"tag-sectionarchitecture","23":"tag-sectionexclusives","24":"tag-sports","25":"tag-wood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}