My Visiting Professorship to the SEK International University and its School of Architecture and Civil Engineering in 2019 was a truly memorable and inspiring experience. From the first moment of landing in Quito, I was fascinated by its unique geography and how the city encompasses a great many architectural thoughts and styles. A warm welcome from the SEK architectural faculty further reinforced the feeling of being at a place that values diversity and nurtures design leadership.

 

I had the opportunity to teach the Design Studio with Professor Cyntia Lopez - it was a studio about the adaptive reuse of the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in central Quito. The choice of the subject made the project feel quite real, so the design workshops with the students were always provocative and engaging. It was a great pleasure to join Professor Lopez and her students in their explorations and to see some of the final project outcomes even after I returned from Quito.

 

The visit also included a couple of lectures I held for students and the faculty, both formal and informal, so there was great opportunities to get to know each other further. Dean Llorca and Professor Lopez also organized an architectural tour of Quito, where I had the chance to visit the historic city center, a few notable museums, as well as some of the most recent architectural developments in the city.

 

The contact with the School of Architecture has remained active since my departure and I was able to contribute to design juries and various school events. It is a great honor to be a small part of the SEK architectural community and to nurture connections to the academic and design world in Quito