A Sustainable Proposal for a Cultural Heritage Declaration in Ecuador: Vernacular Housing of Portoviejo

Abstract

Vernacular houses treasure the knowledge and traditions of nations. They express the cultural heritage of different generations, including local materials and non-professional designs evolved by resident communities. In South America, vernacular houses often are designed in rural areas. These are influenced by the customs of the indigenous people who inhabited this region for centuries before colonization. In the coastal area of Ecuador, particularly in the canton of Portoviejo, belonging to the province of Manabí, there is an architectural typology called “housing of the three spaces”, which has not been valued as cultural heritage. This article responds to the research question of how to structure a sustainable architectural solution, which observes the patrimonial values of the housing of the three Manabí spaces, and which contributes to the resolution of the housing problem in rural Ecuadorian areas. The research was descriptive. The questionary technique was used to characterize these housings and analyze their sustainability criteria and historic heritage values. The results contribute relevant information for the consideration of the housing of the three spaces as cultural heritage. Furthermore, we explored a conceptual and analytical transition of the modern housing named Biosuvernacular (bio meaning life, su for sustainability and vernacular for traditional design) with reasonable economical solutions for resolving the housing problem in the study area.