Agroforestry and Agroindustrial Research Institute of the UNIA: Modular Timber Architecture for Ecological Research in the Amazon | Bachelor’s Design Thesis

Site Context

The project is located within the campus of the Universidad Nacional Intercultural de la Amazonía (UNIA), in Pucallpa, along the riverbank of the Ucayali River. This site represents a zone of convergence where urban dynamics, academic life, and dense Amazonian vegetation overlap. Characterized by a flat yet flood-prone terrain, high humidity, and abundant biodiversity, the context demands architectural strategies that minimize ground impact while responding to climatic conditions.

The program is organized into three main pavilions: Botanical, Experimental, and Academic, each addressing different scales of research, production, and knowledge dissemination. These volumes are elevated on platforms to allow water flow, vegetation continuity, and natural ventilation beneath the building. Their elongated orientation maximizes visual connections toward the river, the forest, and the university campus. Programmatically, the institute promotes interaction between researchers, students, and the local community, integrating laboratories, classrooms, exhibition areas, and open circulation spaces. This configuration reinforces the role of the project as both a research facility and a civic interface embedded within its ecological and cultural context.

Design Process

The design process begins with the architectural drawing as the primary investigative tool. Through analytical decodifications, experimental fragments, diagrammatic drawings and studies that dislocate the usual route of thinking, the project explores cultural heritage, climate behavior, vegetation density, topography, material textures, and patterns of movement across the site. Early drawings focus on understanding the forest not as a backdrop, but as a spatial structure defined by repetition, porosity, and vertical rhythms.

From these observations, the project evolves through volumetric fragmentation, breaking down the program into linear pavilions that adapt to topography and environmental constraints. Structural studies lead to the adoption of a modular system of wooden frames, allowing flexibility in span and spatial configuration while maintaining material efficiency. 

Platforms, thresholds, and transitional spaces are tested through iterative sectional drawings, refining the relationship between ground, structure, and enclosure. Each stage of the process builds upon the previous one, gradually translating abstract spatial intentions into a coherent architectural system rooted in site-specific conditions.

Final Outcome

The final outcome is an architectural ensemble that operates as a continuous yet fragmented system, where structure, program, and landscape are tightly interwoven. The institute is defined by a repetitive wooden structural rhythm that acts as a backbone, organizing circulation, spatial hierarchy, and enclosure. Rather than forming a closed object, the project allows vegetation to penetrate and surround the built spaces, reinforcing the idea of architecture as an extension of the forest.

Material choices prioritize locally sourced, certified wood for structure, enclosures, and carpentry, with concrete limited to the foundations of the elevated platforms. This approach reduces environmental impact while enhancing thermal comfort and constructability. Programmatic transitions guide users from public spaces to more introspective research areas through a gradual spatial sequence. 

Conclusion: Ultimately, the project contributes to the region by offering an infrastructure that supports scientific research, environmental education, and community engagement demonstrating how architecture can act as a mediator between human activity and fragile ecosystems.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]