Centro de Desarrollo Infantil Explora

Abstract

The relationship between architecture, childhood, and urban context is addressed through the design of a child development center in Commune One of Villavicencio, Meta. This arises in response to two main problems: the lack of infrastructure dedicated to comprehensive childcare in socially vulnerable areas, and the need to rethink the traditional design models applied in Colombia, which, although they comply with regulatory guidelines, have proven to be limited in terms of flexibility. Child development centers are spaces designed to promote the comprehensive development of children under the age of seven, as they transcend their welfare function and become settings that influence learning and socialization. From this perspective, it is proposed that architecture should play an active role in the construction of environments that promote experiences of exploration, play, and learning, articulating pedagogical and social dimensions with the project's compositional strategies. Commune One of Villavicencio is characterized by its population density and vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. The lack of a CDI in this area significantly limits opportunities for education and childcare for local children. In this sense, the project is based on an urban and social assessment of the city, highlighting both the inequality in the distribution of facilities and the urgent need to develop architectural solutions that are sensitive to the context. Our solution is justified insofar as it seeks to overcome the rigid normative vision of CDIs, introducing an innovative approach based on neuroarchitecture. This emerging field allows us to understand how spatial configuration, sensory stimuli, and interaction dynamics can positively influence child development. The proposal incorporates certain architectural anomalies (other ideas: space mutations, exploration mechanisms, spatial anomalies), visual and tactile stimuli, as well as playful spaces that invite discovery and strengthen children's cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional abilities. The overall objective of the project is to design a child development center in Commune One of Villavicencio that integrates play as a way of actively inhabiting the space, based on the principles of neuroarchitecture. To achieve this, four specific objectives have been set: to diagnose the urban, social, and spatial conditions of the sector; to review the theoretical and practical foundations of neuroarchitecture as applied to childhood; to establish design guidelines with sensory stimulation strategies; and finally, to develop a preliminary architectural design with capacity for 160 children, complying with ICBF regulations without losing sight of spatial innovation. In this way, the project proposes an alternative model for the design of early childhood facilities, where architecture is understood as a mediator between public policies and the real needs of users. The CDI explores not only remedying a physical infrastructuredeficit, but also projects itself as a space capable of transforming and influencing the daily lives of children and their families, contributing to closing social gaps and promoting more equitable and inclusive development in the city of Villavicencio.