The Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) has announced the Community Production Center Las Tejedoras, designed by Natura Futura architect José Fernando Gómez and architect Juan Carlos Bamba, as the winner of the fifth MCHAP.emerge award. The center, located in Chongón, Ecuador, serves local women artisans by providing a space to learn, create, and showcase their handmade textiles.
The award ceremony concluded the inaugural Conference on Critical Practice. “We are thrilled to honor the Community Production Center Las Tejedoras,” said MCHAP Director Dirk Denison. “Along with the other MCHAP.emerge finalist works, the rich conversations of the last few days have generated a multiplicity of ideas to empower future practitioners.”
The center was designed to meet the needs of women weavers who lacked a suitable environment for their craft. It features a central patio filled with native plants and integrates training areas, workshops, a store for creations, and community gathering spaces. The design uses local materials like teak wood and clay brick in an intricate herringbone pattern.
Jury Chair Maurice Cox praised the project: “The winning project is infused with civic presence capable of dignifying the entire community.” He added that it provides employment and facilitates skill development through active participation in construction.
Since its opening in 2023, the center has become vital for economic and social progress in Chongón. Workshops on weaving and sustainable agriculture have expanded its reach to include women from surrounding villages.
Other finalists included Housing Building on Virrey Aviles Street by Juan Campanini-Josefina Sposito; PILARES Cuicuilco by TO, +UdeB Arquitectos, AGENdA agencia de arquitectura; and Elementary School in Santa Cruz de Villacuri Community by Estudio Copla and Atelier Ander Bados.
The authors of the winning project receive several honors including funding for a related publication. Previous winners include Pezo von Ellrichshausen (2014), PRODUCTORA (2016), Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura (2018), and Taller Capital (2022).
MCHAP is a biennial prize recognizing outstanding architecture in the Americas. It was conceived by Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture in 2013.
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