CDI Loboguerrero: Child Development Center | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

The lack of school infrastructure in Colombia is a long-standing challenge that has a negative impact on the quality of education in the country. Despite efforts to improve the education system, many schools lack appropriate and safe facilities for students. Full classrooms, lack of spaces for extracurricular activities, lack of well-equipped laboratories and libraries, and the absence of basic sanitation conditions are common problems in many Colombian educational institutions.

The rich natural environment of Colombia, which includes high-altitude paramos and tropical rainforests, greatly enhances the country’s natural and cultural riches and improves the standard of living for its people. Colombia’s road system is a vital transportation infrastructure, connecting urban and rural areas and facilitating the movement of goods, services, and people. Inadequate funding, overcrowding, and sanitary problems plague Colombia’s educational system, which has an impact on students’ learning and growth in different areas.

Currently 3,038,511 children in Colombia are between the ages of 0 and 5; they make up 6.87% of the country’s total population and are vital to its development and well-being. The population density of preschool education attendance in Colombia indicates children’s access and participation in the initial educational stage, comparing preschool-aged children to the total population.

The site is located in Valle del Cauca, a department in southwestern Colombia along its Pacific coast. The living conditions in Vale del Cauca vary due to diverse contexts and urban areas. Urban areas offer a wide range of educational options, including schools, colleges, and universities, with better access compared to rural areas. Rural living conditions in Vale del Cauca vary based on location, access to services, development programs, and educational institutions, with some areas lacking quality institutions.

Design Process

The regulations for implementation scenarios include maintaining slopes below 15% and adequate dimensions for large facilities, ensuring a 200-meter distance from risk areas, and identifying flood event threat levels. A flood margin is created based on these levels, allowing for safety measures like raising piles and railings. Schools must be 500 meters away from polluting industrial plants, with preschool classrooms on the access level.

The regulations for different implementation scenarios for climate control include Hillside, Coast, and Savanna environments. Hillside environments require direct solar radiation and vegetation consideration, with light openings requiring an effective area equal to 1/4 of the floor area. Coast environments require air openings oriented at 45 degrees for cross ventilation, with protection from eaves and vegetation.

The conformation model consists of three rooms: Room A, where individual work can be carried out in small groups, Room B, where both work and group work can be done in small groups, and Room C, where individual and small group work can be done in large groups, such as science laboratories, technology classrooms, and plastic arts workshops.

The Type D, E, and F Environment Conformation Model outlines the requirements for different environments. Room D allows sports practice individually or collectively, with high requirements for area, ventilation, lighting, and storage. Room E allows informal extension activities and evacuation, with a total area equivalent to 40% of the built area. Room F allows individual work in small groups or frontal arrangements, using connectable mobile equipment in forums, theaters, classrooms, and music rooms.

The module design considers internal usefulness and reproduction capacity, allowing for the combination of multiple modules for various purposes. Grouping modules creates a community system, generating circulation and dynamics when implemented in specific contexts. Through a coherent organization and fluidity, modules create a system of spaces and paths, which form the final project product.

The proposed unification of the Child Development Center (CDI) on a single site aims to meet community needs by freeing up public space and providing adequate facilities. The first floor will be allocated to establish a connection with the urban environment, with the patio serving as a key element for circulation, meetings, and recreation. The project aims to improve the overall quality of education.

Final Outcome

In a region where there is a significant need for educational services, the CDI Loboguerrero aims to increase access to early childhood education. The modules can be replicated in multiple locations, increasing the number of children that can be served. The project’s modular design also enables it to change over time to meet the community’s evolving needs.

Multipurpose Module: On the northwest façade, a vertical window is implemented that goes to the floor, seeking that any opportunity for views to the outside is available at the height of the children who are the main users of the classroom. On the east side of the façade, a vertical window is implemented that extends to the floor, in order to guarantee that all possible perspectives towards the outside are positioned at the height of the children, who constitute the main users of the room.

The southwest façade contains access to the module, with a door in accordance with regulations and a curtain wall that allows the module to be opened by 80% to integrate it with the exterior space and also allow different programs to be developed.

Active Strategies: On the west façade, which is considered one of the most critical façades in terms of solar incidence, the façade is completely closed and sometimes another module is attached. Towards the interior there is a piece of furniture that incorporates storage and functionality.

Lighting requirement: The minimum requirement for lighting is annual solar exposure (ASE) of over 250 hours, with 10% of the space area between 800-1000 lux. The minimum required is 60% uniformity between 300-3000 lux, with a higher range of 40%-85%.

The Technical Regulations for Lighting and Public Lighting outline the lighting requirements for Educational Infrastructure spaces, including a minimum daylight factor (DF) of 5% or greater to prevent glare, and a daylight autonomy (DA) of over 50% for the industry type, aiming for an average of 70%-90% daylight autonomy in the project.

Ventilation: The project focuses on natural ventilation, which involves exchanging hot and cold air within a building through openings, windows, doors, or mechanical systems. Direct natural ventilation, using underfloor cooling and elements like eaves and louvers, improves air circulation, reducing the need for mechanical ventilation systems. Natural cross ventilation is achieved through facade variations.

Acoustics: Acoustic control in architectural projects is crucial for comfort, well-being, and communication. It minimizes noise transmission from outside and internal areas. Using appropriate materials and techniques for insulation and absorption can create aesthetically pleasing environments without compromising functionality or acoustic performance.

Energy: Solar panels are a sustainable and renewable energy source that can be integrated into architecture to reduce dependence on non-renewable sources. They convert solar radiation into electricity, providing clean and sustainable energy. In Colombia, the ideal tilt for solar panels depends on the location and solar system’s purpose. For photovoltaic systems, an inclination similar to the installation site’s latitude is recommended. In Colombia, the optimal tilt is typically 5° to 15°.

Water & Vegetation: The sustainable drainage system efficiently manages rainwater, preventing flooding and reducing sewage system load. Techniques like rainwater capture, storage, soil infiltration, and vegetation use promote aquifer recharge. This system also contributes to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding water pumping and transport, resulting in lower energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Materiality and architectural language: In the factory, permeability is sought through the enclosure and structural elements, thanks to the materiality that this development allows. With facades that allow visual connection and ventilation, interior and exterior vegetation will be the main bioclimatic components of the project.

Apart from this, they seek to break the myth of the factory as a “Shed” and seek to generate new spatial sensations that allow us to recover the meaning of factories as good architectural references. Through voids, play of heights, materials, visual relationships, smells and texture, the project is intended to be a national and even international reference for the reinterpretation of factory architecture.

Conclusion: The project serves as a model for a flexible and adaptable educational space that meets community and target population needs. By allowing for replication in other locations and adapting over time to changing community needs, this design seeks to increase access to early childhood education in high-demand areas of Colombia.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]