Grupo Tierra Research Network
A research network platform for an Ecuadorian academic group covering territories, ruralities, environment, and food, with CMS structure for members, publications, and events.
Content
Overview
The Challenge
Our Approach
Technologies & Tools
About This Project
Grupo Tierra is an Ecuadorian research network focused on territories, ruralities, interculturality, environment, and food, bringing together academics, researchers, and institutional partners working at the intersection of these areas. The network organizes recurring events, publishes research outputs, and runs the biannual SEPI conference, working in close coordination with partner institutions including the Institute of Economic Research at the Central University of Ecuador (IIE-UCE).
When Grupo Tierra approached Menta, their existing site had gone offline, leaving the network without a public communication channel for its ongoing events and publications. The replacement site needed to be ready quickly to restore visibility, while also delivering an information architecture capable of communicating events, publications, and member profiles in a single platform built for a research audience.
Menta delivered the full design and Webflow build within a compressed timeline, organized around three priorities: a content architecture that gives events, publications, and member profiles each the structure they need, an editorial direction aligned with the network's academic identity, and a quick path to launch that did not compromise the long-term flexibility of the platform. The site launched in mid-2024, restoring Grupo Tierra's public communication channel and reopening the path for event announcements and publication releases.
The Challenge
CHALLENGE 1
Tight Launch Deadline with the Existing Site Offline
Grupo Tierra's previous website had gone offline, leaving the network without a digital presence at a moment when ongoing communication around upcoming events and recent publications was critical. The project required moving from briefing to launch in a compressed timeframe without producing a site that would need to be reworked once the immediate need was met.
CHALLENGE 2
Communicating Multi-Type Academic Content
A research network like Grupo Tierra produces different kinds of content that do not belong in the same template: events have dates and locations, publications have authors and citation data, member profiles have research areas and institutional affiliations. Treating all of them as generic pages would have flattened the differences and made it harder for visitors to find what they came for.
CHALLENGE 3
Event Communication for Time-Sensitive Announcements
The biannual SEPI conference and other Grupo Tierra events depend on visible, accurate, easy-to-find information ahead of their dates. The previous offline site meant the network had been relying entirely on direct channels, which limited reach. The new site needed a dedicated path for upcoming and past events that the team could update as event details evolved.
Our Approach
Solution 1
Component-Based Build with Relume Library
To compress the production cycle without sacrificing design quality, the site was built using the Relume library as a starting point for layout components. This allowed structure decisions and content integration to advance in parallel, with components customized to match Grupo Tierra's editorial identity. The approach made it possible to deliver a polished launch within the window the client needed while preserving the option to evolve the site afterward without rebuilding it.
Solution 2
Content Structure Matched to Each Type
The content architecture was built to support each content type with the fields and visual presentation it required, while keeping the editorial workflow simple for the internal team. Events surface with their date and location, publications surface with their authors and reference data, and member profiles surface with their research areas and affiliations. The team can add new entries from the CMS interface and the relevant section of the site updates accordingly.
Solution 3
Manually Curated Upcoming and Past Events Views
A dedicated Events section was built with separate views for upcoming and past events that the team manages directly from Webflow. The internal team publishes a new event with its date, location, and details, and moves events between the upcoming and past sections as their dates pass. This gave the network the autonomy to communicate event announcements at their own pace, without requiring development support for each update.
Technologies & Tools
Every project requires the right tools. Here's what powered this implementation.
Webflow
Figma
Get started
Ready to stop leaving deals on the table?
60
+
Projects delivered
9
+
Countries
Webflow Certified Partner
Awards Honoree
We follow a structured two-meeting process. An honest assessment of your current digital presence and a clear path forward. That's it.
Typical response time: Within 12 business hours