"Green" Architect Designs Environmentally-Friendly Headquarters in Tuquerres, Colombia

By -
Aaron (middle) with Pedro Nel and Aida Delgado
of CORPONARIÑO 
On April 19th, Aaron Chevalley of Mountain View, Arkansas, concluded a month-long volunteer assignment with the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Nariño (CORPONARIÑO) in southwestern Colombia. CORPONARIÑO is the top environmental authority in the department of Nariño, charged with administrating the environment and renewable natural resources as well as pursuing sustainable development. Aaron, a LEED-certified architectural designer and independent design consultant, responded to a request from CORPONARIÑO to develop architectural plans for a “green”, environmentally-friendly structure to serve as its new sub-regional headquarters in Túquerres, one hour south of the city of Pasto.

A wood-burning kiln used to harden bricks
From March 22nd to April 19th, Aaron carried out several key tasks with input from CORPONARIÑO and assistance from a local architect. He first conducted a survey of popular construction methods and identified major environmental concerns associated with brick-making, the primary construction material in Túquerres. Among the environmental concerns identified were soil erosion, depletion of farmland, deforestation and local air pollution.

After doing a bit of research on locally-available resources, Aaron proposed three building alternatives that call for natural, renewable materials and which could potentially reduce the negative impacts of brick-making: compressed earth blocks; straw & bamboo modular panels; and earthbags. Using all three proposed alternatives, Aaron designed an architectural plan for the headquarters which includes on-site water reclamation and filtration, natural lighting, and several insulation techniques. Based on the plans, the area surrounding the structure will be used to showcase the variety of plant species native to the area to encourage the public to conserve their environment.

Bamboo structure detail
In addition, Aaron gave a presentation of alternative building methods to a homeowners group in Túquerres, encouraging them to use earthbag construction for their retaining wall system.

Looking ahead, CORPONARIÑO plans to acquire the tools necessary to build prototypes of each proposed construction alternative and begin the testing phase.

Comments

  1. UnknownWednesday, August 01, 2012

    Very Excited! What can be better than working to further local industrial innovation and industry at the same time as protecting precious natural resources, preventing erosion,and introducing regionally sustainable options for improving living conditions to rural communities!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better Marketing and Communications to Showcase the Work of our Hosts in Colombia

By -
Image
Salva Terra Foundation has focused on supporting vulnerable communities through sustainable agriculture. They work with impoverished populations and victims of violence in Medellin and aim to promote farming and develop local skills to work in the agricultural industry in an ecological manner. This process of bringing together concepts such as social impact, sustainable development, environmental protection, and food security requires excellent outreach and promotion. Therefore, they requested a F2F volunteer to help them develop a communication and marketing plan. The chosen volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Sindy Chapa. She has a B.A. in Mass Media Communications, with a Minor in Television and Art Design, an MBA, and Ph.D. in International Business/Marketing. She is the Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and has won several communications awards. Dr. Chapa decided to use Salva Terra as one of the case
Read more

My First Goat: A Professor, Students, and some Goats Tackle Food Insecurity in Rural Guatemala

By -
Image
Two Worlds Come Together to Build New Solutions against Malnutrition What does a USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) expert volunteer group from the island of Puerto Rico have to do with combatting food insecurity in Guatemala? Everything.  F2F volunteer Gabriela Colón Rios trains Mam Indigenous women to better care for their goats which will improve food security and reduce high malnourishment rates. Chiantla, Guatemala. Photo Credit: Monica Gonzalez In March 2023, a group of five eager F2F volunteers arrived in Huehuetenango (Huehue), Guatemala, with hearts and minds set on combatting food insecurity in a part of the world unknown to them.  Over the next 10 days, this team of experts would consider Huehue, in Guatemala’s Western Highland region, their new home and office. Accompanying them on their mission would be faithful companions and mighty conduits of change: goats.  Communities in this region live at altitudes reaching 10,000 feet above sea level nestled by captivating mountai
Read more

Digital Marketing in Colombia

By -
Image
Digital Marketing is one way that entrepreneurs and producers across the globe can reach new markets and increase sales. But what is digital marketing and how can a small Colombian business use it to maximize the number of people who come across its brand? These are the questions that Zen Naturals was asking itself. Zen Naturals is a natural cosmetic manufacturing company based in Cali, Colombia. Zen Naturals develops natural cosmetics made from exotic ingredients from Colombia’s outstanding biodiversity. Through ethical manufacturing and fair trade practices, they are also taking a leadership role in re-investing in the communities that grow the ingredients used in their products. Currently, Zen Naturals supports more than 95 Colombian quinoa farming communities through Fair-Trade Practices and technical assistance on their production. Zen Naturals is preparing to launch their quinoa facial care products in Whole Foods Markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in 2017.
Read more