The building is organized in four modules, three of them are classrooms and the remaining one is a multifunctional space. Pre-existing vegetation and trees are integrated in the design, favouring indirect lighting and shading the connecting corridors.
The aim was to create "a democratic space, where children, youth and adults could dream and undertake the desired future".
Description of project by Asociación Semillas
Context
The native community of Jerusalem of Miñaro is located in the district of Pangoa, in the central jungle of Peru and belongs to the area called VRAEM, an area populated by indigenous communities that was severely affected by the internal armed conflict during the 1990s.
The school, which receives more than 200 students, was in a precarious state, however, it had been operating for 40 years. The infrastructure consisted of provisional classrooms and the spaces did not respond to the minimum comfort necessary for the development of pedagogical activities.
Process and construction
The purpose of the project was to create a democratic space, where children, youth and adults could dream and undertake the desired future.
For this, a comprehensive work methodology was proposed, driven by the cooperation of different national and international institutions, as well as the participation of the community in every stage of the project.
In this sense, in the diagnostic and project stages, workshops were held with students, parents and teachers to determine the needs of the community, their dynamics and their dreams for the future school.
The construction has been developed guided by the work of specialized construction masters and workers from the community itself. The local workforce allows the transfer of knowledge through on-site work experience and training workshops throughout the entire construction process.
Project description
The project proposes processes that promote the exchange of knowledge, revalue local human and material resources and promote flexible spaces aligned with the new pedagogical approaches.
The building is organized in four modules, three of them are classrooms and the remaining is a multifunctional space. Additionally, it is proposed that two existing classrooms are repurposed as a teachers’ residence, and that hygienic services are remodeled and improved. The three school modules are arranged on the south side of the lot, with the longitudinal facade oriented north / south.
Pre-existing vegetation and trees are integrated in the design. In the multifunctional room a tree marks the main access of the school and is part of the interior space. On the north side, a row of trees accompanies the facade favoring indirect lighting and shading the connecting corridors.
The program includes eight school classrooms, a multipurpose area with kitchen, two storage areas, a media library and hygienic services.
The children have appropriated the wide covered courtyards, creating an imaginary world where the walls become climbing bars, the wooden divisions serve as hiding places and the windows double as chairs. The covered halls and courtyards adjacent to the classrooms are form circuits and game and fantasy tours that lead to “Bamboopark”, a space to play freely, built within the framework of a construction workshop with students and the community.
Materiality and bioclimatics
Another innovation force in the Miñaro Jerusalem project is the architectural proposal, which is resolved on a low budget and without damaging the quality of the spaces.
One strategy was to find the best way to use the resources at hand, such as local materials and knowledge, proposing a design consistent with the safety and building regulations.
For this, a modular design with a main structure in reinforced concrete and wood and a light double pitched roof was proposed.
Environmental comfort was achieved through the use of passive systems, with particular attention to the control of solar radiation, ventilation and natural lighting. The roof has skylights that, in addition to favoring indirect lighting, favor the release of hot air.
The roof has a rainwater collection system that is stored and pumped to elevated tanks.
Finally, the school in the native community Jerusalem of Miñaro proposes new, freer educational spaces, of indeterminate use, versatile and that encourage creativity. The school becomes a community milestone, a place of public use, a social catalyst and a scenario of opportunities, a platform for different uses.
