Maria Auxiliadora School: a sustainable reconstruction project for a better future

Following a major earthquake in 2007 (7.9 on the Richter scale) in the region of Ica in Peru, about 300 km south of Lima, the 4 classrooms of the school in the village of Los Calderones were no longer usable, and until the new building opened in August 2011, 70 children had to attend lessons in a temporary prefabricated building near a heavily used road.

While the project was underway, under the direction of the NGO Architecture for Humanity, which coordinated construction with the assistance of local experts, the community was involved in a truly participatory planning process with the aim of reinforcing the people’s bond with their school and underlining the importance of having a safe school building.

In addition to social aspects, the architects paid a lot of attention to environmental sustainability in the construction, recycling materials from the demolition of the old building to reduce the pollution caused by construction detritus and the need to transport it.

Windows are expertly arranged to take advantage of natural ventilation in the classrooms, and the building's position does not require electric lighting at night. Thermal insulation makes both heating and air conditioning unnecessary, significantly reducing the building’s overall energy balance.

Use of local building materials such as cement, wood, stone, structural reinforcements, etc. reduced pollution due to transportation: about 85% of the materials were bought locally. The exterior makes use of renewable resources such as wood and bamboo which are both beautiful and efficient providers of shade.

Thanks to funding from the Happy Hearts &ING, project, the children of Los Calderones can finally attend lessons in a sustainable, safe school building.

Design: Architecture for Humanity
Location: Maria Auxiliadora primary school, Avenida Calderones s/n, Los Calderones, Ica, Peru
Funding: Integra ING - Peru, http://www.integra.com.pe/, Happy Hearts Fund http://www.happyheartsfund.org/
Engineering and construction: Edificaciones America, http://www.edificacionesamerica.com/
Design Team: Diego Collazos http://architectureforhumanity.org/
Photos: Diego Collazos

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