The community of San Pedro Apóstol in rural Mexico is set to benefit from a fantastic new sustainable sports center designed by the Portuguese office Blaanc Borderless Architecture in partnership with Mexico-based architects CaeiroCapurso. The proposal recently beat over 200 proposals from 61 countries to win $25,000 USD in funding from the GAMECHANGERS international competition. This sustainable social development demonstrates how architecture can bring communities together throughout the development process — it encourages locals to work together to build the sports center under a program they have titled “LEARNING BY BUILDING”.
The competition was conceived by Architecture for Humanity in partnership with Nike Inc, who hope to increase social cohesion through sports. The project is set for construction in 2011, and with the help of many local hands it is anticipated to be a shining example of sustainability in terms of materials used, building strategies, and the use of local natural resources.
The community collaboration and education will not end when the structure is finished — the final plans state that community vegetable gardens and recycling centers will be incorporated alongside the impressive sports facilities such as athletics tracks and soccer fields. This diverse range of facilties should encourage people of all ages to take full advantage of the venue and ensure that the original aims of the GAMECHANGER competition are met.
+ Blaanc Borderless Architecture
+ CaeiroCapurso
+ Architecture for Humanity
