Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Artes
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Item type:Publication, Exhaustive Differential Verification of Rule Execution in Building Compliance Software: A Method and Its Application to Seismic Provisions for Earthen Buildings(MDPI AG, 2026-09-22); ; - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Designing the UI/UX of a Gamified Platform to Raise Awareness About Water Conservation Using the User-Centered Design Method(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026); ; ; - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, The illusion of flexibility and the limits of teacher autonomy in the Ecuadorian curriculumIntroduction Curriculum reforms in Latin America emphasize flexibility, contextualization, and teacher autonomy. In Ecuador, the 2016 curriculum operationalizes these through Skills with Performance Criteria (PC). Methods An analytical–interpretive approach was applied, examining the national curriculum alongside literature on educational governance and critical pedagogy. Results The PC-based structure, with its criteria and indicators, organizes planning, evaluation, and documentation around predefined outcomes. While this promotes coherence, it fragments practice into discrete units. Contextualization occurs in teaching, but validation relies on standardized references, creating tension between adaptation and assessment. Teacher work is structured by planning and verification processes. Discussion Interpreted as controlled freedom, autonomy is recognized but bounded, and flexibility emerges as a practice shaped by technical constraints. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Lightweight deep learning for sustainable adobe construction: a block-level baseline aligned with circular economy principles and sustainable development goalsIntroduction – The construction sector accounts for nearly 37% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, motivating renewed interest in low-carbon vernacular materials such as stabilized adobe. The integration of recycled inputs into adobe formulations advances circular-economy principles in the built environment, yet large-scale adoption is constrained by the absence of objective, scalable quality-control methods. Methods – We present a methodologically rigorous baseline for AI-driven visual quality control in stabilized adobe construction. A dataset of 330 images was constructed from 55 physical adobe blocks fabricated under controlled laboratory conditions with three circular-economy stabilization mixtures: recycled polyethylene terephthalate (1.5%), sugarcane bagasse fiber (8%), and Portland cement (10%). Each block was photographed from six standardized angles. To eliminate data leakage, we implemented strict block-level data splitting. A MobileNetV2 transfer learning pipeline with frozen ImageNet weights, aggressive data augmentation, L2 regularization, and balanced class weights was developed. Performance was characterized through accuracy with bootstrap 95% confidence intervals, per-class metrics, ROC AUC and Average Precision, five-fold block-level cross-validation, ablation study, and Grad-CAM interpretability. Results – The model achieved 80.95% test accuracy (95% CI: 69.0%–92.9%) on a held-out set of seven physical blocks (42 images). AUC = 0.858 and Average Precision = 0.944. Per-class F1-scores were 0.692 (sound) and 0.862 (defective). Block-level five-fold cross-validation confirmed stability at 70.0% (95% CI: 60.7%–79.2%). Ablation showed: simple CNN 71.43%, MobileNetV2 without augmentation 71.43%, complete pipeline 80.95% (+9.5 pp). Grad-CAM confirmed attention to physically meaningful surface features. The 9.24 MB model footprint enables offline deployment on commodity smartphones. Conclusion – This work establishes a methodologically rigorous baseline for AI-driven quality control in stabilized adobe construction. By demonstrating meaningful performance with modest datasets and edge-deployable architectures, this study supports broader adoption of circular-economy adobe construction and contributes to Sustainable Development Goals 9, 11, 12, and 13. Future work should expand the dataset, evaluate hierarchical classification, and assess field deployment. Copyright © 2026 Pinto Almeida and Jordán Buenaño. Conclusion This work establishes a methodologically rigorous baseline for AI-driven quality control in stabilized adobe construction. By demonstrating meaningful performance with modest datasets and edge-deployable architectures, this study supports broader adoption of circular-economy adobe construction and contributes to Sustainable Development Goals 9, 11, 12, and 13. Future work should expand the dataset, evaluate hierarchical classification, and assess field deployment. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, TOTORA AS A SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL IN PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN(ISEC Press, 2026-03); ; ; Villacís, EnriqueDespite growing interest in natural fibers for sustainable construction, few studies systematically integrate empirical mechanical testing of Andean biomaterials—such as totora (Schoenoplectus californicus)—with parametric design to enhance structural performance. Historically limited to non-structural applications, totora’s potential in load-bearing systems remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by evaluating and optimizing totora-based modular units through a hybrid methodology that combines traditional weaving techniques, physical testing, and computational simulation. Cylindrical and conical modules, fabricated using cross-weaving and spiral braiding, were subjected to tensile and compressive load tests. Concurrently, ephemeral structures composed of these modules were developed in Rhinoceros using Grasshopper/Karamba3D to explore geometry optimization and load response, iteratively refining morphologies based on stress distribution patterns. Results demonstrate that conical forms and spiral configurations significantly improve stiffness and load dissipation, while all modules exhibited high ductility and full shape recovery after compression. The study confirms that parametric design can effectively compensate for totora’s inherently low strength by adapting form to material behavior. This approach offers a replicable framework for integrating vernacular knowledge with digital tools in sustainable, ephemeral architecture across Andean contexts. © 2026 ISEC Press. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Diagnosis of User Experience (UX) and Accessibility in Traditional Recruitment Tools: Foundations for the Future Implementation of Gamified Processes(2025); Traditional personnel selection processes, based on printed tests and face-to-face interviews, present increasing challenges in terms of user experience (UX), usability, and accessibility. Elements such as candidate satisfaction, the learning curve required to understand and complete the processes, and the levels of frustration detected negatively impact fairness and effectiveness in skills assessment. This analysis represents the initial phase of a broader research project, whose ultimate goal is to develop gamified solutions grounded in a user-centered approach. In this initial stage, a qualitative study was conducted through in-depth interviews with six human resources specialists from different organizations, with the aim of identifying the limitations of conventional procedures and examining the perception of gamification as an improvement strategy. The findings indicate that conventional procedures result in a fragmented and unsatisfactory experience, imposing a high cognitive and emotional load on candidates. The specialists highlight persistent obstacles regarding clarity of instructions, limited feedback, unequal accessibility, and the lack of adaptability to diverse profiles. Likewise, they acknowledge the potential of game-based platforms to enhance motivation, reduce frustration, and provide more inclusive experiences. These findings underpin the design of a future quasi-experimental phase that will evaluate, using metrics such as the System Usability Scale (SUS), the comparative effectiveness of traditional versus gamified tools in selection processes. © 2025 IEEE.16 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Extensive Green Facades as an Alternative to the Lack of Urban Greenery(2025); The accelerated process of urbanization has intensified the loss of natural green areas, directly affecting the quality of life in cities. Semi-natural infrastructures, such as green facades, do not replace natural ecosystems but can mitigate their impacts by providing ecosystem services. This study is based on the hypothesis that the implementation of self-built extensive green facades, using local substrates and a mixture of native and adapted species, constitutes an accessible alternative that urban residents can construct and maintain themselves. Within this framework, the research 2 question is posed: How does the combination of support system type and plant species influence the ecological performance of extensive green facades in Andean urban contexts? Which climatic and construction-related factors determine the economic viability and ease of maintenance and self-construction of extensive green facades? The article is structured in two phases: first, a theoretical review of recent literature on extensive green facades, and second, an experimental phase involving self-built modules implemented in the city of Quito. The results show that, at least under the described climatic conditions—characterized by high solar radiation, prolonged water deficit, and wind gusts reaching up to 4.2 m/s—the selected plant species (<jats:italic>Common Ivy, Passiflora mixta</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Pyrostegia venusta</jats:italic>) achieved similar coverage levels during the study period, ranging from 30% to 20% between months 3 and 7, with installation costs below 41 USD per square meter. These findings highlight the feasibility of affordable systems for urban greening and their potential role in promoting resilient and inclusive development, particularly in highly variable Andean climates. However, further research is needed to assess their long-term impact on urban biodiversity, as well as their sustained structural and ecological performance over time.17 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, University Extension in Architecture: Strategies adopted by COVID-19(2022)Latin-American universities have reacted during pandemic times by implementing strategies not only virtual (Bedoya-Dorado, Murillo-Vargas, y González-Campo, 2021), the actions adopted over the road have allowed that the programme of extension continues being performed in other ways and to consider as not a requirement the permanent presential link with the community. The goal of the research is to analyze the strategies developed in community projects of University Extension in Architecture developed in seven Latin-American countries. The inquiry presents a methodology with combined strategies (Groat y Wang, 2013) that includes a literature review of primary and secondary sources, cases of study and interviews. This papers contains cuali-cuantitative data related to modes of working, alternatives of virtual communication in social media and elaborated knowledge of seven community projects selected from online activities developed by Architectural Latin-American universities in Costa Rica, México, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile y Argentina. The study found that the compilation of projects done last year and few years ago are the most used modes of working, also, digital material, Facebook pages and YouTube channels are the alternatives for virtual communication and finally, that digital publications and videos are the elaboration (Cano e Ingold, 2020), production (Salvatierra, 2003), (Cohen, 2014), (Martínez y García, 2019) and construction (Bolaños y Aguilera cited by Martínez y García, 2019) of knowledge. © 2022 The authors.20 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Tiktok as a Learning Tool for Elementary School Students(2023); 43 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Tití App, an Interactive Psycho-Pedagogical Recovery Tool: A Pilot Study(2022); The acquisition of reading and writing is a complex and decisive process for the knowledge appropriation of children and their culturalization; similarly, the number of children who do not achieve the expected literacy level for their age and schooling is also a matter of concern. One of the explanations lies in the learning situation, which regularly develops in a classroom. Nowadays, the incorporation of new technologies that include smartphones and tablets as learning-enhancing resources is crucial. Due to the absence of contextualized tools for the Ecuadorian population, Tití application is proposed. It is focused on reducing the errors in children’s reading by solving tasks that are based on the errors determined in the literacy analysis test, TALE, in a contextualized and motivating digital scenario. The user-centered design is the basis for the construction of this tool with characteristics that are specific to Ecuador such as the use of the Spanish language in an Ecuadorian context, navigation on a map of Ecuador, and rescue of endangered endemic animals. This allows children to identify with their environment and engage in the dynamics of the tool. In the research, a repeated measures study design was applied to assess statistically significant differences between a first and second evaluation. A marked decrease in the number of errors in the elements of the TALE test can be observed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.52