Boat-Shaped Nueva Esperanza School in Ecuador Was Built With Bamboo, Timber and Straw

For the longest time, there was not a single school in Manabí, a remote fishing village in Ecuador, so a group of people led by a devoted teacher decided to do something about it. Eschewing conventional <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/concrete/">concrete boxes</a> that look and feel more like prisons than schools, the village opted for an organic boat-shaped structure made with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/bamboo-wing-is-a-sculptural-vietnamese-restaurant-immersed-in-water/">natural materials</a> in order to foster the children's connection to nature.

This gorgeous new school is located in a remote area of Ecuador

Made with natural materials, the school is designed to awaken a spirit of learning in children who haven't had access to a school before

The school is raised up on pilings since it is located on the beach

The roof is made with knitted straw or "cade"

There's a timber frame and bamboo walls - all sourced locally

Most of the other schools in the region are built out of boring old concrete, a model this teacher says oppresses rather than frees the imagination!