A station along the path of a young architect
Architect Imayara Mojan spent almost a
year with EcoTec in Nicaragua before going to Spain for a
post-graduate degree. During this time she left her mark upon the
team, especially with the students. In her role as coordinator of the
architectural department, besides architectural design, her role
encompassed budgets, supervision of construction and presentations to
clients.
The young architect arrived at EcoTec
with many experiences acquired during her student days and with
various jobs after graduation, one assignment taking her to the
department of Carazo, where she came to know EcoTec.
According to Imayara, one lives a house from within and, thus, she places emphasis on internal space as much as the facade. This perspective led to her post-graduate studies in the field of interior design at the University of Salamanca.
This view is also reflected in the designs for all sectors, from up-market houses to social housing. All clients benefit from an architectural team that knows how to combine aesthetics with economics with the same commitment and intelligence.
Buildings under construction require supervision to ensure that the design is respected and that the construction norms are followed. "In this sense," said Imayara, "the architect becomes the supreme authority."
With reference to the upmarket clientele, she noted that the desires of more affluent people are not limited so much by finances, rather they want the best available that they can afford. For this market the team designs houses for the EcoNic clients who qualify for bank loans or who have their own financial resources.
On the other hand, to design houses for people with scarce resources brings frustrations. While it was somewhat difficult to adapt, she and the team were determined to design houses for this segment that are elegant, enduring and economical, whether for the social projects of SofoNic or the program of economic housing of EcoTec.
During this process, Imayara became
aware of the importance of the house itself for poorer people. To
have a house is an achievement in life for these clients. "The
more humble people desire four walls and a roof overhead," said
the architect. To be able to say "its mine" is of utmost
importance.
Compared with houses built by other NGOs or those that simply following the official requirements of INVUR (national institute of urban and rural housing) for 36m2 of area per house, the designs that come from the EcoTec architectural department are another category. In a space of 48m2 they have created agreeable interior spaces, including kitchen and bathroom.
EcoTec offers three basic designs for economic houses, for which the team has prepared cardboard models. The clients see the options and can view the houses from inside by simply removing the roof, of which there are also various designs. In this way, even humble people participate in the design of their house.
"The nice part is that one is responding to something that the society desires," said Imayara. "It is akin to supporting people in their dreams."