Diseñar una escuela en la vereda San Mateo sector el ramo Betulia, Santander

Abstract

In the Colombian rural context, many educational facilities present limited physical conditions that do not adequately respond to pedagogical dynamics or to the real needs of students, a situation that is evident in the rural area of San Mateo, in the municipality of Betulia, Santander. The project aims to develop an architectural proposal for a rural educational center for primary and lower secondary education that engages with the territory, social dynamics, and regulatory conditions, integrating criteria of spatial flexibility, accessibility, and sustainability. The project was approached through a qualitative, project-based methodology, based on the study of theoretical references on rural school architecture, the characterization of the user population and the educational demand of the surrounding area, as well as the analysis of architectural references of rural schools in Colombia, which made it possible to structure the architectural program and define the project’s implantation in accordance with the Betulia Land Use Plan (EOT) and NTC 4595. The proposal takes shape as a single-story educational facility composed of multigrade classrooms, courtyards, and covered circulation spaces, together with a multipurpose covered sports court, prioritizing natural ventilation, the use of local materials such as handcrafted brick, and the incorporation of a photovoltaic solar energy system. The project demonstrates that a contextsensitive rural school architecture can be consolidated as an educational and community space that strengthens school permanence and social development in the territory