This childhood center in Villa Rica (Colombia) is equipped with spaces for education and recreation, and provides food and health services to 200 newly born, 300 children, and 100 pregnant mothers. Financed mainly with funds from international cooperation, the construction process lasted nine months, with the local population as active participants in the process.

Based on the pedagogic method of the Reggio Emilia school network (Italy) of the 1960s and 1970s, the pavilions that make up the center are organized around a large central courtyard that functions as a playground and as a space for interaction, and the different pieces are designed so that the space itself becomes an educational element. The classrooms have different entrances and exits, offering different circulation options and thus encouraging children to make their own decisions early on; the restrooms, because of their design, favor autonomy.

In tune with the spirit of the program, the building design is based on low-tech and sustainability principles, encouraging natural light and ventilation, and using locally sourced and recyclable materials, as well as traditional building methods. The textured concrete walls absorb heat and are clad with split bamboo – evoking the traditional use of rammed earth for construction. Bamboo also appears in the structure of supports embedded in reinforced concrete cubes through articulated supports, and also in the bamboo cane latticework that protects the living areas from the sun.