Materia Arquitectura & Design is an Ecuadorian firm based in Quito that blends architecture, interior design, research, product design, and education. Founded by María Isabel Paz, an Ecuadorian architect with a BA from UVA and an MArch I from RISD, the studio explores the intersection of art and design. For the past five years, it has collaborated with the rug makers of Guano, documenting their techniques and creating capsule collections to raise awareness of this ancestral craft.