Two Modern Office Buildings in Quito. Rafael Vélez Calisto: From Craftsman to Icon Building
+Autoría: Juan Carlos Villagómez-Rodríguez, Clara Elena Mejía Vallejo+Líneas de investigación: Estrategias proyectuales, Maestros de la arquitectura+Revista: EGE. Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación+Fecha: 2024 Diciembre
During the second half of the 20th century, the city of Quito underwent a rapid expansion process with urban and architectural consequences. As a result of this and the economic situation, there was an increase in the construction of high-rise office buildings in which new languages were explored. Leading local architects receive numerous commissions from institutions to design their headquarters. This article is a comparative analysis of two office buildings designed by Rafael Vélez Calisto in Quito. The first, Condominio Profesional, dates from 1973 and is one of his first buildings. The second, Banco Popular, was built in 1983 and is from a mature period. For this article, primary sources were consulted and compiled. The documents analyzed were preliminary sketches, project plans, perspectives, archive photographs, and publications in the local press.