How can educational spaces be opened up to the outdoors, and what are the suitable conditions for their development? What bioclimatic strategies can be implemented to contribute to the environmental comfort and cultural preservation of the community? The educational infrastructure planned by the Semillas Association in the Peruvian jungle invites us to think about opportunities for students, families and local residents to gather, meet and participate in the community by conceiving outdoor learning spaces and blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. This spatial conception, linked to the site's uses and practices, represents a way of life where the implementation of bioclimatic strategies comes together with the use of local materials and building techniques to create an architecture linked to its environment and history.
Semillas, a non-profit organization based in Lima, Pangoa (Junin) and San Ignacio (Cajamarca), was founded in 2014 by Marta Macaría. Aiming to ensure that quality educational facilities reach every region, it sees education as the basis of human and community development, understanding the territory and society to create spaces that match the ethics and spirit of the place. Through various activities, including participating in numerous competitions, organizing multiple workshops and leading different research projects and master plans, Semillas sees architecture as a cultural expression, a means to improve the quality of people's lives, and attaches great importance to community participation.
It is a locally designed and constructed building that respects local resources, environmental amenities and a revaluation of public use, where multiple uses exist and coexist with the exchange of knowledge within the community. Marta Maccaglia said in an interview with Paula Pintos of ArchDaily: “To provide a coherent architecture for each location requires a deep understanding of the people, culture and region.”
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“You can't carry out a project unless you first feel and understand the place”: Marta McAlea of Asociación Semillas
Below we present five of Semiras' architectural works and their cross-cutting bioclimatic strategy map.
El Huabo Primary and Secondary School / Semillas
Located in the jungles of northern Peru, the project rehabilitates a primary and secondary school for over 150 students from the rural areas of San Ignacio province. The proposed classrooms are connected to the outdoor spaces by sliding glass doors, while corridors with benches and display walls also encourage use and interaction. The multi-purpose space has retractable doors connecting the interior to the educational garden. Acting as a blocking system between the gardens, the project incorporates an outdoor educational farm. It is noteworthy that the design and construction process was carried out with community and student participation.
Mencoliari/Semillas Technology and Environmental Research Institute
The project, which takes place in the Mencoriari indigenous community in the central jungle of Peru, aims to create an educational space that complements traditional classrooms through a workshop classroom conceived as a space to preserve ancient knowledge about plants and forests. By linking architectural and educational spaces, the goal is to promote a space adapted to the site to promote education that aims to revalue the environmental and cultural richness of the jungle and to generate access to local employment opportunities. The proposal features an educational space for drying medicinal plants and roots, as well as an “open classroom” for researching and learning topics related to natural medicine, agriculture and forestry. As a place of drying and living, the space can be opened up for ventilation, reducing the interior temperature and connecting with the outdoors. The process of ideation, design and construction was developed through workshops involving students and their families.
Alto Anapati Preschool / Semillas
Located in the Nomatsiguenga indigenous community in the central jungle of Peru, the Alto Anapati Infant School was developed following an ethnographic approach and participatory workshops. Through “observation workshops” to understand the dynamics of education in the community and working sessions with families to reflect on the richness of indigenous lives, the school is seen as the heart of the community, the soul that protects the Nomatsiguenga knowledge and territory. In fact, its design reflects these learnings in space: the multipurpose room is an open classroom without walls, connected to the “forest classroom”, which is conceived as an outdoor classroom. Moreover, the classroom opens to the outside with large glass sliding doors. All enclosures are designed in such a way that boundaries disappear and connect the inside and the outside.
New community centre for the Otica Indigenous Community/Semillas
On the banks of the Tambo River in the central jungle of Peru lies the indigenous community of Otica. Through participatory workshops, the project develops an architecture with local characteristics that incorporates community contributions. A catalyst for meetings and mixed-use, the building is elevated above the ground to protect against flooding and acts as a viewing area both outdoors and indoors. The large roof protects from the sun and rain and ensures a comfortable environment with constant ventilation and natural light. Taking inspiration from the surrounding environment, the proposal was conceived as a large covered plaza for multiple uses: meetings, celebrations, workshops etc.
Chuquibambila School / AMA + Paulo Vale Afonso + Bosch Arquitectos
The indigenous community of Chuquibambiya is located in the highland jungle of Peru. The school aims to be a center for the development and exchange of the whole community, not just a place of education during school hours. With a wide range of outdoor programs, the project includes covered and outdoor patios of different sizes, spaces for different activities that allow students to get in touch with nature and traditions. Outdoor classes, art workshops, clay work, crafts, agronomy, livestock, cultivation, etc. The spaces are connected by shaded paths, which act as meeting points and extend the program. It is a building where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors are blurred, creating public spaces that connect with the surroundings.
This article is part of ArchDaily's Curated series, which highlights built projects from our unique database grouped under specific themes related to cities, typologies, materials and programs. Each month, we highlight a collection of structures that find a common thread in a previously uncommon context, unlocking the depth of their impact on the built environment. As always, we at ArchDaily value the opinions of our readers. If you think a particular idea deserves mention, please let us know by clicking the link below. Submit your proposal.