Critical and Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Architecture (CIRCA)
The Critical and Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Architecture (CIRCA) is a research centre dedicated to the study of the history and theory of architecture. Its approach, rooted in the critical humanities, is deeply interdisciplinary, integrating both local and global perspectives.
Physical location: CIRCA is based at the Miguel de Santiago and Aristoteles buildings of the main campus of USFQ, where meetings and special events, such as the annual symposium, will be held.
Modern architecture of Quito; History of Ecuadorian architecture; Modern histories and theories of architecture.
CIRCA examines the complexities of the built environment, with a critical stance derived from the interrelation of architecture with the humanities. It includes research projects investigating the historical development of architecture and its theories, allowing for the identification of past situations that need to be reevaluated; in this manner, contemporary concerns and considerations for the future can be enlightened. Architecture is thus conceived as a field of study composed of diverse ideas, practices, experiences, spaces and objects – all sites of cultural and political contestation.
While focusing on architecture as a social practice, with rigorous scholarship, responsible for the natural and built environments and commitment to social equality, the CIRCA’s agenda aims to contribute to the regional and global impact of its projects. The projects cover various themes, locations and periods of study, organised into three overarching categories:
- Modern architecture of Quito.
- History of Ecuadorian architecture.
- Modern theories of architecture.
The vision of CIRCA is to become a leading academic space for the emergence, support and consolidation of critical thought in architecture – the first of its kind in Ecuador, with an international presence. The Centre will leverage its location in Quito, using it both as a key theme of study and as a scholarly approach characterized by the evocations of circa – around economies and cultures, in between technologies and aesthetic expressions, approximating disciplines. Rather than continuing to build on the belief that the world can be shaped according to human needs in a clear and objective way, the projects embedded in CIRCA offer complexities, questions and ambiguities, contemplating their relevance for similar studies, locally and globally.
The strategies to advance this vision are divided into three efforts:
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Publications: All projects will be encouraged to incorporate publications as part of their communicability. The Centre will collaborate with USFQ Press and, when relevant, with international publishing houses to support the work of its members. The book Modern Architecture of Quito: Global, Local, and the In- Between is an example of such collaboration. With contributions from international experts and scholars from CADI, it will be published this year, both in English by Bloomsbury and in Spanish by USFQ Press.
Furthermore, CIRCA will explore the possibility of starting an academic journal dedicated to the critical study of the history and theory of architecture, focusing on projects by Ecuadorean scholars, in collaboration with other national institutions.
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Yearly Symposium: An annual symposium will be organized so the members of CIRCA can present their work, receive feedback and plan futures actions; in each edition, a member of the advisory board will be invited to participate. A first instance of this event took place on 23 May 2024, with the participation of five projects and guest critics.
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Dissemination: Information about the Centre, members, activities and outcomes will be gathered in the USFQ research groups website (https://www.usfq.edu.ec/en/research-groups) and on an independent website to be created (similar to http://occas.aho.no). The design of the latter will be financed by funds directly assigned by the dean of CADI. This platform, managed by the director of CRICA, will be constantly updated, followed by social media presence on Instagram and X.
Research Projects
- Andrés Chiriboga: The First Modern Landscape Architect in Ecuador. Leader: Mauricio Luzuriaga.
- Bodies, Boredom and the Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert. Leader: Christian Parreno.
- El Panecillo: Resisting Modernity in the Andes. Leader: Cristina Bueno.
- From the American Dream to the Andean Havens. Leader: Karina Cazar Recalde.
- Hotel Quito: Capturing Landscape. Leader: Mauricio Luzuriaga.
- Max Ehrensperger, Swiss Architect, 1954-1959. The Arrival of the European Avant-Garde in Quito. Leader: Mauricio Luzuriaga and Pablo Dávalos.
- Public Stages: Architecture, Nature and Urban Cohabitation. Leader: Felipe Palacios. Collaboration: Karina Cazar.
- The Boredom of Will Alsop. Leader: Christian Parreno.
- The Mo-Tel in Quito: Adaptation of an Imported Type. Leader: Karina Cazar. Collaboration: Ana María Carrión, Daniela Campoverde and Cristina Campos.
Publications
Selected Publications (since 2022):
Books
- Dávalos, Pablo. Ciudad brutalista, Quito 1960-1980. Quito: USFQ Press, 2022.
- Parreno, Christian (editor). Arquitectura moderna de Quito: Lo global, lo local y lo intermedio. Quito: USFQ Press, 2024.
- Parreno, Christian. Boredom, Architecture, and Spatial Experience. London: Bloomsbury, 2021.
- Parreno, Christian (editor). Modern Architecture of Quito: Global, Local, and the In-Between. London: Bloomsbury, 2024.
Book Chapters
- Cazar, Karina, and Ana María Carrión. “El motel en Quito: Artefacto Urbano para el Ocio Sexual”. In Ocio y negocio: El hotel de la posguerra en las Américas. Edited by Alexandra Kennedy and Shayarina Monard. Cuenca: Universidad de Cuenca, 2022.
- Luzuriaga, Mauricio. “Charles McKirahan y el surgimiento del hotel moderno internacional.” In Ocio y negocio: El hotel de posguerra en las Américas. Edited by Alexandra Kennedy and Shayarina Monard. Cuenca: Universidad de Cuenca, 2022.
- Parreno, Christian. “Aburrimiento, espacios posmodernos y experiencias de ocio”. In Ocio y negocio: el hotel de posguerra en las Américas. Edited by Alexandra Kennedy and Shayarina Monard. Cuenca: Universidad de Cuenca, 2022.
- Parreno, Christian. “Dolores Veintimilla’s Necrology: Experience, Public Space and the Death Penalty Debate in Ecuador” in Women Writing Architecture 1700-1900: Expanding Histories. Edited by Anne Hultzsch and Sol Perez Martinez. Zurich: gta Verlag, 2025.
- Parreno, Christian. “Intertwined Architectures of Boredom, Desire, and Transgression.” In Transgression and Architecture. Edited by Carmen Popescu. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2025.
Academic Articles
- Cazar, Karina, Ana María Carrión and Mauricio Luzuriaga. “Reimaginando Quito: Una ciudad andina pospandemia. Entre el habitar y el auto sustento de alimentos”. Revista de Arquitectura (2022).
- Cazar, Karina. “An Anonymous Byproduct: The Urban Morphology of The Motel in Quito”. ISUF XXVI International Seminar on Urban Form. Cities as Assemblages. Roma: 2022.
- Luzuriaga, Mauricio. “Translucent Concrete Shells in Ecuador”. In Design and Fabrication: Proceedings of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures Annual Symposium. Edited by Yi Min Xie, Jane Burry, Ting-Uei Lee and Jiaming Ma. Melbourne: IASS, 2023.
- Luzuriaga, Mauricio. “Cristo del Consuelo Church in Ecuador by Luis Monsalve. A Replica of Candela´s San Vicente de Paúl Chapel”. In Innovation, Sustainability and Legacy. Proceedings of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures 2022 Symposium Affiliated with APCS 2022 Conference. Beijing: IASS, 2022.
- Luzuriaga, Mauricio. “Luis Monsalve. Sus cascarones y paraboloides hiperbólicos en Ecuador”. ESTOA (2022).
- Parreno, Christian. “Notes on Architecture and Stickiness”. Architectural Histories (2023).
- Parreno, Christian. “Para Reconsiderar los Objetivos de la Arquitectura”. Revista de Occidente. Madrid: Ortega y Gasset, 2023.
- Parreno, Christian. “Boredom, Suicide, and Postmodern Architecture: Life and Death at No. 1 Poultry”. The Journal of the International Society of Boredom Studies (2023).
- Parreno Christian. “Architectures and Experiences of Joie de vivre”. Emotions: History, Culture, Society (2023).
Alliances
Advisory Board
- Iain Borden, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.
- Florencio Compte, Universidad de Guayaquil.
- Ana Esteban-Maluenda, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
- Felipe Hernández, University of Cambridge.
- Mark Jarzombek, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Mari Lending, Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
- Inés del Pino, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Quito.
