This project sets out to explore a broader definition of cutting edge architecture by reviving regional and sustainable thinking in a developing community in rural Panama.
The Hogar Monte Carmelo is a Carmelite boarding school in the rural community of El Mangote located outside Bejuco, in the District of Chame, roughly 75 kilometers outside Panama City. The school currently enrolls students from the surrounding areas who would not otherwise have the economic means or access to a secondary education.
The proposed expansion will include new dormitory buildings, classrooms, an administration building, a small chapel, and agricultural workshops to support a working orchard and reforestation effort. This project will explore a master plan that links the new construction with the existing buildings and surrounding landscape in a compact, faith centered parti.
The new buildings will be realized in the application of a unified system of construction that makes use of local, renewable materials. The typical wall structure will involve a double layer of locally manufactured clay bricks with reinforced corners and a lime plaster finish. The roof structure and covered porches will involve a bamboo truss system supporting fibrous cement roofing panels. Each building typology will be single occupancy and one story in height.
Hopefully, this exercise in regional design will inspire a sense of pride in the greater community and encourage further exploration into the ideas of sustainability in the developing world.
