On the Ecuadorian coast is the Pacific Forest of Ecuador, the most threatened tropical forest on the planet, with less than 5% of its original area. With the passage of time, anthropic use and excessive logging, it has been reduced to the highlands where the rivers originate. This territory of 12,500 hectares and 23 watersheds is a refuge of great biodiversity, where the innovative project "Capuchin Monkey Corridor" is located, led by 23 communities, where about 16,000 inhabitants face major challenges. 

The Capuchin Monkey Corridor seeks to protect and restore the forest, promote sustainable land use, and conserve the critically endangered Ecuadorian capuchin monkey.

The privatization of the coast through a large number of private neighborhoods forces communities to settle on the slopes of the forest, while the dominant economic activity, shrimp production, banana, corn and pineapple monoculture, affects the environment and limits productive options. Social problems are compounded by the fact that Ecuador is the third most dangerous country in Latin America for drug trafficking, with the coastal provinces being the most affected. In this context, the children of Camarones are vulnerable to the "culture of drug trafficking", which is presented as a model of leadership, power and easy money.
To counteract this, the Corridor strengthens community governance through forestry programs, youth education (ages 0-18), and regenerative agroforestery for adults.

The Camarones's Class-ground is being established as the first pillar of an educational program that aims to involve all children in collective learning and to replicate it in the 23 communities that make up the Capuchin Monkey Corridor. This will lead to a future link with the productive agroforestry program already underway with the participation of 110 families in the community.

These programs aim to protect and expand 12,500 hectares of forest capable of absorbing 101,000 tons of CO2 per year and 5 million tons in 50 years. The climate of the park is similar to that of a forest, shady and cool. The intention of reforestation with native tree species is to seek the stay and welfare of a large number of people, this is a park reserve.

Currently, the Class-ground is designed in its entirety and 7% built, we have been able to verify the reappropriation of animal species and the growth of tree species that reforest the place. It has a classroom-park (reforestation species, viewpoints, bridge, dry toilets, playgrounds and squares), library, sports field, youth shop, community room, nurseries and fish hatchery pool, the operation is cyclical and friendly to nature, the waste from the dry toilet is used to fertilize the trees. It is also connected to the cocoa production and collection center, which promotes long-term sustainability and regeneration. This model has the potential to be replicated in the remaining 22 communities.

In 2023, TMA (Third Millennium Alliance), an Ecuadorian non-profit organization with 17 years of experience in the conservation of the Pacific Forest of Ecuador, joined forces with the architectural firm Taller General to create a replicable infrastructure in the 23 communities of the Capuchin Monkey Corridor. The training program for people from 0 to 18 years of age focused on ensuring access to education and promoting awareness of forest conservation and regeneration.

The program start with the co-finance of TMA, and began with participatory workshops for diagnosis and participatory design with women, adolescents and children from the community. As a result, the collective construction of the first phase of the "Camarones's Class-ground", an educational space that combines sustainability and community participation, began.

The infrastructure designed for the Camarones community has the potential to be replicated in the other 22 communities that make up the Capuchin Monkey Corridor, home to approximately 16,000 people. The project will be carried out with local labor, promoting the use of local techniques and technologies. This ecosystem, which has been degraded by deforestation and cattle ranching, will be restored through the project.
The proposal reforests the area with native species, reuses organic waste as fertilizer, and integrates into the landscape through sustainable architecture that enhances natural life. More than a building, the Class-ground stands as a space for environmental and community regeneration, revaluing the natural and cultural heritage of the area.

Ecuadorian non-profit organization
Architectural firm