The #GC2022 finalists are out! Read more.

search
×
menu
login
donate
Community Learning Center Corralones
Sacaba, Bolivia
i
Location:
Sacaba, Bolivia
Category:
meeting place
Phase:
design development
Updated:
5 January 2023
The Corralones Community Learning Centre seeks to strengthen social cohesion and inclusion in a peri-urban area characterised by informal settlements, limited public space and lack of employment opportunities. It is part of a strategy aimed at generating and strengthening local leadership and greater environmental awareness through participatory, collaborative and articulated processes and sustainable design.
follow
share on:mail linkcopy link to clipboardShare via LinkedInShare via TwitterShare via FacebookShare via Facebook
Introduction
The Corralones neighbourhood is located in the Lava Lava District of the Municipality of Sacaba. It is a peri-urban area that is undergoing accelerated, uncontrolled and unplanned urban development, with the generation of irregular human settlements that arise to respond to the housing needs of low-income populations, mainly migrants from rural areas of the department of Cochabamba.

It is a relatively small community of 80 well-organised families that emerged in 2007, when it was a predominantly agricultural area, and which developed through processes of social production of habitat and housing. However, it is characterised by precarious security of tenure, the absence of green areas, lack of facilities and basic services, as well as the degradation of local vegetation and biodiversity.
The existing community center is a very important meeting place and has been self-built with a lot of effort and sacrifice on the part of the neighbours. However, it has not been planned, it does not have adequate lighting and ventilation conditions and the outdoor space was in a state of neglect. From a participatory urban diagnosis workshop, the community's need for multifunctional and training spaces with a gender and multigenerational approach arose. In particular, the women requested a space for training in cooking and baking in order to generate income to improve their domestic economy, as well as quality and safe public space, with multi-generational play and meeting areas.
play
Impact
Based on the participatory urban diagnosis in Corralones, we saw the opportunity to intervene the community centre to generate a community learning space and to requalify the external space. A small amount of funding was obtained to create a playground for psychomotor development and a small square as a multigenerational meeting space directly related to the headquarters. Through a participatory design process, work was also carried out on the proposal for the requalification and extension of the existing building on the upper floor, with a multifunctional room and a room for training in baking and cooking. 

The project aims to become a benchmark for the area in terms of mixed-use community facilities, quality public space, women's empowerment, local economic development, sustainable design and the use of ecological and local materials. At the same time it is related to a project of green and inclusive pavements for the neighbourhood and a 4 km long Urban Biological Corridor project that starts in Corralones and is being implemented with 10 other neighbourhoods in the area in coordination with the municipality, academia and the government of Cochabamba. 

The foundations are being laid to generate participatory and articulated processes of multi-scale urban planning based on urban and environmental governance, in which urban design is related to architectural projects that serve as generators for local socio-economic development.
sdgs
Core team
Since 2020, the multidisciplinary team of the Pro-Habitat Foundation has been implementing the Sustainable Urban Consolidation project with Corralones and several communities in the area. This project intervenes at different scales and integrates social, urban, architectural, legal, educational, cultural and economic components to generate inclusive, sustainable neighbourhoods, in balance with the environment, and to strengthen security of tenure through participatory, inclusive and articulated processes.

Corralones Neighbourhood
Mr. Edgar Garcías is the president of Corralones and, together with his board, they are a fundamental part of the collaborative and articulated work that is carried out in the neighbourhood.

Pro-Habitat Foundation
The design team of the PHF for the Corralones Community Learning Centre is composed by arch. Alain Vimercati supported by Eng. Roxana Triveño, arch. Laura Llanos and past and actuals interns (arch. Verónica Aruquipa, students Dana Jiménez, Luca Tarallo and Daniel Weber). 

Faculty of Architecture and Habitat Sciences UMSS
The FPH is carrying out a study on Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks with lime in collaboration with Prof. Irma Quiróz, a Bolivian architect with a large experience in social production of habitat and bioconstruction who is professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Habitat Sciences and Tec. Sup. Ricardo Nina from the Materials Laboratory of the Institute for Research in Architecture and Habitat Sciences of the University Mayor San Simón of Cochabamba.
Pro-Habitat Foundation team

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Image gallery
Existing community centre (2020, before)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Existing community centre (2020, before)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Participatory urban appraisal

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Participatory design for the Corralones Community Learning Centre (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Advisory workshops on urban sanitation and security of tenure m(2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021, internal view of the existing community centre)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Community work for the implementation of the Corralones Community Learning Centre park - Tree planting with volunteers and students (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Corralones Community Learning Centre park (2021))

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Corralones Community Learning Centre park and playground (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Corralones Community Learning Centre park and playground (2021)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Technical drawings
Location map of the Corralones neighbourhood

image: Google Earth (elaboration Pro-Habitat Foundation) | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Urban expansion Corralones neighbourhood (2006 - 2022))

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Master plan Corralones neighourhood with inclusive green pavements

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Phases of implementation

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Construction system and programme - Corralones Community Learning Centre

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Ground floor (requalification)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Upper floor (extension)

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Sections

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Frontal external view of the Corralones Community Learning Centre

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Lateral external view of the Corralones Community Learning Centre project

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Lateral external view of the Corralones Community Learning Centre

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
View of the distribution courtyard on the upper floor

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Internal view of the kitchen for baking and cooking training and production

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Help bring our project to life!

There are no updates yet.

Help bring our project to life!
Where are we now
The multidisciplinary team of the PHF has been working in Corralones since 2020 together with the community, achieving in a first time a photogrammetric survey and a participatory diagnostic and mapping of the neighbourhood. From this diagnosis emerged the need to generate quality public space and to requalify and expand the existing community centre. Through a participatory workshop, a programme of needs was drawn up and a project proposal was developed for both the external and internal spaces. Thanks to a small amount of funding that was secured in 2021, it was possible to implement the requalification and reforestation of the external space, including a small place and a playground.
An indication of our team’s capacity:
50% expertise already found
30% materials / equipment already found
60% builders already found
Finance: € 15,000
The Corralones Community Learning Centre project is part of a multi-scalar, participatory and actor-driven process. The funding’s request of 15’000 € corresponds to the 50% of the estimated construction cost through the acquisition of the principals construction materials, which will serve as a trigger to create a generator of opportunities and exchange for the community.
50% of the funding will be covered by the community as a counterpart with constructions materials and qualified and no qualified labor force through the community work. The team of the Pro-Habitat Foundation also enters as a counterpart with human resource, especially with the design process and the construction supervision.
  • Wooden structure
7,500
  • Corrugated roof panels
1,600
  • Compressed stabilized earth blocks with lime
1,500
  • Kitchen furniture
1,000
  • Wooden windows
3,000
  • Bathroom furniture
400
Skills: Technique, Financial advice, PR & Marketing
Financial advice
We would be really glad to obtain advice on financing possibilities to make the project real, due to the limited economic resources of the community. 
Techniques
The project contemplates walls made of Compressed stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEBs) with lime, that have been developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture and Habitat Sciences of the University Mayor of San Simón. We would very much like to be able to exchange with experts in order to improve and optimize its characteristics and the production process.
PR and Marketing
We would very much like to strengthen our communication capacities in order to strengthen networks and partnerships.
Housing pilot project with Compressed Earth Blocks

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Stuff: Materials, Equipment & tools
We currently have a Cinva-Ram machine for the production of Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks. However, we have seen the need to optimize the production process, as most of the process is done manually, which makes the process very time consuming. In order to be able to replicate the use of this ecological material with the Corralones Community Learning Centre project, it would be very useful to have the following equipment available:
- Compulsory Mixer: approx. USD 2.500, which would speed up the grinding and mixing of soil and clay.
- Optimized Cinva-Ram: aprox. USD 600. The cinva-ram currently available is a prototype that needs to be improved for higher strength and faster production.
The cinva-ram machine being used for the production of Compressed Earth Blocks.

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Hands
The exchange and collaborative work that is generated between practitioners, the community and the Pro-Habitat Foundation team is very important to generate sustainable processes and collective learning among all actors.
We always work really well together with local and international volunteers and interns and will be very pleased to collaborate with new one.
For this project we would need volunteers to support the final design process (architecture and engineering) as well as the construction process, e.g. for the production of the Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks, wooden structure assembly, etc. They will integrate our multidisciplinary team and work together with the community.
Volunteers builders helping with the Compressed Earth Block production for the housing pilot project

image: Pro-Habitat Foundation | CC-BY_black.png some rights reserved
i
Help bring our project to life!
Location
show earth plate boundarieshide earth plate boundaries