Informal construction in Quito, Ecuador, is typically regarded as having poor aesthetic values due to its precarious finishes and deficient construction. Academic perspective of what architecture should be is a standard and can be considered as a subproduct of globalization that determines aesthetic values which are assessed mainly on looks, which restricts distinct explorations and devalues those which may present an innovative proposal, such as in Quito’s informal construction. However, in this context there is a risk of validating aesthetics in collusion with romanticizing poverty. Thus, this investigation first defines aesthetics in architecture and then values it in informal construction. For this, a bibliographical review is conducted to understand architecture aesthetic values and how this shape architecture as a cultural phenomenon. Also, ethics and epistemics in architecture are acknowledged to comprehend how they serve aesthetics from a philosophical perspective, and how informal construction does it through their means. The results are the study and the construction of a rubric based on bibliographical review to assess aesthetics on informal construction, which is designed through logical principles in coherence with what was previously defined as aesthetics.
Rueda et al. (2026) studied this question.