In this context, the urban landscape of many Peruvian towns is likely to benefit from facilities that, for many small cities, could well become iconic and even transformative elements within their urban or semi-urban environments. The precedent for this process lies in the Grandes Unidades Escolares (Large School Units) built during the Odría administration—so iconic for their rationalist architecture and masterfully executed in Lima by Alberto Jimeno. Another precedent, albeit a less fortunate one, is found in the school facilities built across many parts of the country in the 1990s. These featured an often-altered modularity and forms—accentuated by plaster and paint—that were identically recognizable in any region, as if completely disregarding the geographical and cultural specificities of Peru's diverse territory.
Nearly a year ago, the National Program of Educational Infrastructure (PRONIED) publicly presented school prototypes for five of Peru's geoclimatic zones: Coast, Rainy Coast, Highlands, Frost-prone Areas, and Rainforest. While far more zones can actually be identified in the country, one has to start somewhere. Indeed, several educational modules designed under the Plan Selva (Rainforest Plan) had already been implemented. Initiated in 2015, this general proposal was exhibited at the Peruvian Pavilion of the 2016 Venice Biennale, curated by Jean Pierre Crousse and Sandra Barclay, where it earned a special mention. That same year, Plan Selva won the Hexágono de Oro at the Peruvian Architecture Biennale, surpassing other notable projects like the Pachacamac Site Museum.
