scs: galapagos, the wall: scout’s centre
The
Ecuadorian
Government,
through
its
Consejo
de
Gobierno
de
Galápago
,
invited
The
Scarcity
and
Creativity
Studio
(SCS)
with
the
aim
of
providing
facilities
for
Galapagos
communities
who
had
not
yet
benefited
from
the
development
of
the
tourist
sector,
which
is
the
main
source
of
income
of
the
Galapagos
Archipelago.
By
recognizing
that
Galapagos
is
a
unique
place
in
this
planet,
the
Galapagos
Administration
wished
to
ensure
that
the
facility
provided
not
only
met
the
functional
requirements of the local community, but also contributed to the prestige of Galapagos through its artistic merit.
The
Galápagos
Islands
are
an
archipelago
of
volcanic
islands
distributed
on
either
side
of
the
Equator
in
the
Pacific
Ocean,
906
km
west
of
continental
Ecuador
,
of
which
they
are
a
part,
with
a
population
of
around
25,000.
The
islands
are
known
for
their
vast
number
of
endemic
species
which
were
studied
by
Charles
Darwin
during
the
voyage
of
the
Beagle
in
1835
and
contributed
to
the
inception
of
Darwin’s
theory
of
evolution
by
natural selection
.
In
1978
Galapagos
was
designated
a
UNESCO
World
Heritage
site,
signifying
its
“outstanding
value
to
humanity.”
Unlike
other
oceanic
archipelagos,
the
ecological
and
evolutionary
processes
characteristic
of
Galapagos
have
been
minimally
affected
by
human
activities,
and
the
archipelago
still
retains most of its original, unique biodiversity.
The
main
traditional
economic
activity
of
Galapagos
was
fishing.
Since
around
1980
tourism
has
surpassed
fishing
to
become
the
main
industry,
employing
almost
40%
of
local
residents
and
contributing
65.4%
of
the
archipelago’s
gross
domestic
product.
Despite
the
estimated
annual
influx
of
$150m
from
tourism
into
the
Galapagos
economy, poverty remains a serious problem.
Tourism is restricted to a few sites, and consequently benefits some, but not all, of Galapago’s residents.
The
site
for
the
project
was
located
in
Puerto
Baquerizo
Moreno
that
has
a
population
of
5000
and
is
the
capital
of
Galápagos
Province.
It
is
located
on the southwestern coast of
San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the archipelago.
Since
1998
the
Galapagos
Scouts
Program
has
been
educating
local
underprivileged
children
on
the
importance
of
creating
a
sustainable
community
for
their
future
health
and
welfare
and
that
of
the
Galapagos
Islands.
This
education
gives
them
the
opportunity
to
consider
careers
in
the Galapagos National Park, the tourism sector, and the local Navy.
The Scouts owned a site in the upper part of Baquerizo Moreno that was earmarked for a building to accommodate their diverse activities.
The
program
for
the
building
consisted
of
a
classroom
for
30
people,
workshops
for
craft
teaching,
a
small
office,
accommodation
for
3
visiting
teachers,
and
cooking
and
toilet
facilities.
Sustainability
is
another
major
concern
of
the
Galapagos
Administration
so
we
chose
bamboo,
which
is
local and renewable, as the main building material.
To
ensure
the
success
of
the
project
SCS
staff
travelled
to
Galapagos
in
April
2016
to
agree
the
procedure
and
responsibilities
for
the
different
parts
of
the
project.
SCS
staff
traveled
to
Galapagos
in
April
2016
to
meet
with
the
Consejo
de
Gobierno
de
Galápagos
,
Mr
Juan
Chávez,
Director
de
Producción
y
Desarrollo
Humano,
to
organise
the
project
and
agree
on
mutual
responsibilities
and
tasks
which
would
ensure
the
successful
completion
of
the
project.
Unfortunately
the
Consejo
de
Gobierno
de
Galápagos
did
not
fulfill
their
part
of
the
agreement
and
the
project
for
a
Scout’s
Centre
had
to
be
cancelled,
as
there
was
not
enough
time
to
complete
those
parts
which
the
Galapagos
Administration
had
commited
to
doing and to finish the building process.
SCS, The Wall, Galapagos, Plans.
SCS, The Wall, Galapagos, Elevations.
Student Team:
Åsmund Amandus Steinsholm, Cecilia Sundt, Guro Langemyhr, Jan Kazimierz Godzimirski, Magdalena Georgieva Alfredova, Magnus Hermstad, Synnøve Solberg, Jørgen Joacim Høy, Therese Andrea
Nygaard, Torunn Oland Stjern, Vilde Vanberg, Viola Ulrika Kristin Svens, Wilma Hiemstra, Yaohan Yu.
Teachers:
Christian Hermansen, Solveig Sandness and Joseph Kennedy
Colaborators:
Torgeir Blaalid and Finn-Erik Nilsen.
Sponsors:
Lund & Slaatto
Nordic
MAD
4B ARKITEKTER AS
ØKAW ARKITEKTER
Byggindustrien
Astrup og Hellern
LPO
Lund Hagem
Flakk
SCS, The Wall, Galapagos, The Design Team.
