The design of the YOO GYE residential skyscraper in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, by YOO Inspired by Starck – lead by French designer Philippe Starck – has been unveiled.

The 46-storey tower, 176 meters high, will rise along the Rio Guayas, the river that crosses the city, in the central district of Puerto Santa Ana, next to several other skyscrapers. The facade will feature bands of porches – a motif commonly found in the typologies of the area – and will be covered with glass and local limestone.

The skyscraper will contain a total of 633 apartments arranged in blocks, set back as the skyscraper grows creating common outdoor spaces enriched with native vegetation. It will also house a spa, outdoor pools, a cinema, a party room and commercial spaces on the lower floors.

“I wanted to create fertile surprises to awake people, to create conversations, to create interactions and to trigger creativity,” said Starck.

YOO GYE – built by Uribe Schwarzkopf, who previously also commissioned Iqon to BIG and Qondesa to MAD – is expected to be completed in 2027.