We've rounded up five residences in Ecuador that architects have designed to celebrate the small South American country's local materials and climate.

Casa El Cortijo by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

A zig-zagging roofline covered in red bricks defines this house in Ecuador's port city of Guayaquil, which is popular for its proximity to the Galapagos Islands.

Based in Chile, Felipe Assadi Arquitectos created the one-storey residence almost entire of bricks with a square plan and a hollow core. At the centre are a grassy garden, two outdoor patios and a swimming pool.

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Casa Lasso by Rama Estudio

Quito's Rama Estudio has completed these a rural residence on a grassy site next to a eucalyptus forest and farm in central Ecuador.

Two slanted rooflines top the property, with cosy, warm-toned interiors inside. Walls are made of a mixture of local materials such as wood, cane, bamboo, earth, mesh and cement mortar built using a local construction technique called bahareque.

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Casa Roca by Estudio Felipe Escudero

Board-marked concrete walls wrap this residence designed by Estudio Felipe Escudero, which is located in a residential neighbourhood in Ecuador's capital city Quito. It is designed to provide its residents with privacy from the hustle and bustle outside.

Much of the rear side of Casa Roca opens up to the outdoors and is complete with a white patio on its ground floor. A covered terrace upstairs connects four of the house's bedrooms from the outside.

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Don Juan House by Emilio López

Don Juan House is in the shape of a bow-tie with a dip at its centre. It is built with flat-fibre cement panels, glass, and local amarillo and asta woods. Double-height windows flank either to make the most of its natural surroundings in the Ecuadorian beach town of Don Juan.

Local architect Emilio López oriented the wooden to run east-west, allowing for views to the Pacific Ocean on one side and the forest on the other.

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Tacuri House by Gabriel Rivera Arquitectos

This glass-and-concrete residence stretches across a sloping site and comprises different tiered volumes that are nestled around existing trees. Numerous outdoor patios and hallways dot the property as well.

Local studio Gabriel Rivera Arquitectos built the house in Nayón on the outskirts of Quito, which known for flora such as the native Algarrobo trees in addition to views of the Cumbayá Valley.

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