Studio Campo Baeza, based in Madrid, Spain, and Quito-based Maoda have won the international competition for the new National Museum of Ecuador (MUNA).
The competition, held to develop the museum’s preliminary architectural design, is part of a USD 100 million state-funded project. Conducted in two stages, it attracted 148 teams from around the world in the portfolio phase. Twenty teams advanced to the second stage, and 17 proposals were shortlisted for the final jury. The jury included architects Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Eduardo McIntosh, Hernán Crespo Bermejo, Luis López, and Diego Ordoñez Holguín, along with Roberto Luque Nuques, Carla Arellano Granizo, Deputy Minister of Culture Romina Muñoz, and Carlos Montalvo, Director of the National Museum of Ecuador.
The winning proposal, Echoes of the Sun, is conceived as a vessel for Ecuador’s history and artistic heritage. Drawing inspiration from Quito’s vertical urban landscape and the architectural traditions of the Andes, it reinterprets the verticality of stepped pyramids and ancient temples as a “vertical box” centered on light and the sun. Containing a series of courtyards and carved voids, the building is wrapped in shaded circulation spaces that filter sunlight, creating a spatial experience defined by light and shadow while opening onto the city and the Andean landscape.
Located at the edge of La Carolina Park, where two major roads intersect, the museum is set back along the southern edge of the site to create a generous civic plaza. Landscaped with trees, water features, and shaded areas, the plaza serves as a transition from the city into the museum while extending the park’s public realm. The rectangular floor plan accommodates efficient circulation and is organized into three zones: exhibition spaces to the south, a central circulation spine, and service and vertical circulation areas to the north. Four vertical circulation cores and a sequence of courtyards are positioned along the northern edge. The courtyards function both as sources of daylight and outdoor exhibition spaces, forming an integral part of the visitor experience. Named after Ecuador’s cultural and historical references, they culminate in a rooftop terrace at an elevation of 2,854 meters, offering panoramic views of Quito and the Andean landscape.
The design team stated, “Our goal was to create the most beautiful museum in the world for Ecuador,” adding, “It is a place where the light and shadow of Quito complete the architecture.”
