Center for Climate Change

Located outside of La Paz Centro in Nicaragua, the Center for Climate Change is an outdoor community center for interactive learning. Nicaraguan organization Proleña, and Trees, Water & People, based in Ft. Collins, Colorado envisions this project to make environmental education, and sustainable manufacturing techniques more accessible to the area and it’s surrounding regions. The collaborative project embraces the exchange between local and global ecological practices and technology, and research on adapting to changing climate conditions.

• The project aims to create low cost, low maintenance and locally inspired structures that encourage socializing and knowledge exchange.
• A progression of covered walkways that lead from the main road to public areas and a central plaza are designed to invite people to explore. Further away from the plaza, semi-private to private spaces including workspaces, offices, housing and living quarters for a caretaker serve as a transition to the agricultural portion of the site.
• To create an environment conducive to interactive learning, the design incorporates modules for local businesses to showcase their eco practices and products in a market style setting.
• To offer an experience of ecological trades, areas for manufacturing clean burning cooking stoves, photovoltaic lighting and traditional brick are central and in plain sight.
• Green technologies used are integrated in the design to be both functional and exhibited – photovoltaic panels are used to create shaded areas, water cisterns and catchment systems are exposed and a nearby tree nursery is open to visitors so that these technologies and practices can be experienced first hand.
• The sustainable implementation of local building practices and the use of local materials will be emphasized throughout construction.

A close collaborative relationship and extensive meetings with Proleña and Trees, Water & People as well as the Gettliffe Architecture team’s site visit, informed the design of the master plan. The project is currently under construction.