BENDING BACK BARRIERS SCHOOL SYSTEM PROPOSAL FOR TLAPA DE

COMONFORT, GUERRERO, MEXICO

2009.10

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CHAPTER ONE - PROJECT INTRODUCTION
1.1 Project Title: The Title of this project is the Cesear Estrada Chavez Elementary School, the Vicente Ramon Saldana Middle
School, and the Ignacio Guerrero School for Grades 9 through 12, or the Bending Back Barriers School System Proposal for
Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, Mexico.

1.2 Project Location: The three schools will be located in Tlapa, Guerrero Mexico. Tlapa de Comonfort is often shortened to
Tlapa, and is a city in the mountain region of the Mexican State of Guerrero. It also serves as the municipal seat for the
municipality of the same name. ‘Tlapa’ is a Nahunta exonym from tlappan or tluhpan, meaning ‘place of washing’. The ‘De
Comonfort’ part of the name is in homage to President Ignacio Comonfort. The 2005 INEGI Census reported a population of
37,975 in the municipal seat.

1.3 Principal Investor of the Project: Small and large donations and contributions from the general public and private investors.

1.4 Project Objectives and Significance: The target students of this school are primarily students of economically and
sociologically depressed households. Additionally, these students will have primarily one or both parents working away from
the home. Keeping in line with the philosophy of Bending Back Barriers as an institution of social learning, these schools will
provide a safe and secure place to study, with a warm and caring place for students, coupled with intensive learning
opportunities, will instill in the student a willingness to learn and improve their life-opportunities. We are hopeful that the
completion of the Cesear Estrada Chavez Elementary School, the Vincente Ramon Saldana Middle School, and the Ignacio
Guerrero School for Grades 9 through 12, will provide the children of Tlapa, Guerrero Mexico, and in the future, all students
of Mexico, with an opportunity to improve their social, scholastic, and economic opportunities in life, while also promoting the
future face of Mexico to the global community.

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CHAPTER TWO - PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS
2.1 Location Requirements: A thorough geological disaster assessment report and an environmental assessment report must be
provided when selecting the location of the school. Areas with good geological conditions should take precedent over others.
Two basic geological requirements as mentioned in the following should be satisfied: first, the building foundations of all three
schools should be laid on an intact rock, for, if it is soil layer underneath, the earth is apt to get dampened and might lose its
supporting capacity as a result; secondly, the building locations of all three schools should not take into consideration such
terrain with the potential danger deriving from potential earthquakes, damn downstream, and landslide terrain. The school
should not be near dense industrial districts, mining areas, junkyards, areas with the potential of heavy metal radiation from
underneath, high-voltage corridor areas in electromagnetic wave effect, and any other areas with polluting sources. The school
location should possess ideal topography and physical features, and good conditions of ventilation and lighting. Besides, good
transportation system, water and electricity supply system, communicative system, together with excellent surroundings should
be taken into consideration. The Bending Back Barriers schools will stay away from places like the market, the recreation area,
the funeral parlor, the hospital morgue, the jail, the court, riversides, marsh land, etc. The external walls of the main
entranceways should be at least 300m away from any major highway.

2.2 Construction Scale:

Total land area: m2
Total floor space: m2
Recruitment scale: 3000 (students, administration and faculty)
There are 48 classes all together, including 38 classes in the elementary school section (this includes daycare and kindergarten
classes, study halls, library and community resource center(s) and faculty lounges, 33 in the middle school, and 47 in the
school for grades 9 through 12.

2.3 Requirements for Planning and Design: We plan to build a culture-enriched, technology-empowered, health-oriented,
environmentally friendly and sustainably developing school. Based on the idea of developing an ecological campus, the
construction plan should make good use of natural ventilation, water-capture and filtration-systems, lighting and create
comfortable ecologically balanced environment with low energy consumption. Each functional area in the school should be
taken into full use.

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The Core Structure (main entrance and atrium areas): The structure should be characterized by its commemorative
significance, which may be the school landmark, or highlighted by its distinct function.

Community Resource Center: The founding and completion of this school is obviously related to the economically
depressed climate of rural communities, so the primary task is to install students from impoverished families in a
comfortable and familiar setting. The majority of these students have experienced social tragedy and suffered mentally
due to the loss of one of both parents working outside the borders of Mexico to support an extended family. Therefore
there should be an appropriate outlet for their depression but less tangible reminders of the loss of one or both parents,
otherwise the surroundings would result in a depressive atmosphere.

Temporary Open-air Refuge (Athletic Fields): The athletic field areas are planned to be in areas, which can be
multifunctional. This space should be as flat as possible, free from head drops, sheer slopes and massive filling or
excavating. Facilities such as independent purified water supply system, emergency lighting, and broadcasting system
should be given high priority.

Management Mode: Totally enclosed management is to be implemented in the school with rigid school ethos and
discipline.

Concerns over Student(s) Mental State: The students of Mexico have a lingering fear of kidnappings, poverty,
parental separation, and other social ills. Therefore efforts should be made to reduce the pain caused by past, painful
memories, and life’s future hardships. Our students will therefore need special help. Thus, one of the major teaching
objectives, along with intensive English instruction, is to guide them to care more about society, to be ready to help
others and show concern in general for the world around them. Therefore, special facilities should be provided to
inspire their consciousness of mutual love and help. Based on the above reasons, all construction space should set such
a tone as bright, lovely and warm.

Architectural Style: Buildings should present such architectural style as being stable, safe, lively, and modern.
Inspired primarily by local history, culture and arts, the design should also be strew with a tinge of fashion, with green
sights, achieving a mixed new style full of contrasts and blending. Separate areas are recognizable by their different
functions and distinct architectural styles, while basically embodying the key elements of diversity, harmony, and
blending.

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Architectural Height and Density: The elementary and middle school buildings will be of low-rise and low-density
with 2 to 4 floors. The senior high school will consist of 2 to 5 floors. Although the buildings will lie within one
campus area, they will maintain an equal distance from each other.

Building Material Selection: On the premise of construction cost control, the main buildings should adopt reinforced
concrete structure. External walls should be built up with sand-lime bricks or hollow bricks, coated with light-colored
paint; rubber-laminated glass or tempered glass should be applied; space for planting is considered in the design of
roofs.

Design Guideline and Principle: Architectural design should maintain high starting poinst, high standards and high
quality in establishing an intelligent garden school, and give first consideration to human beings. Complying with the
open teaching tendency in modern education, the design should try to create multi-level public areas inside and outside
buildings. Space making up and construction image should be distinguished, with each memorial structure bearing
features of its own and conforming to the overall image.

Construction Purposes: The elementary, middle, and the school for children in grades 9 through 12 are coed schools,
with multi-functions including teaching buildings, gymnasiums, science an language laboratories, etc.

Construction Fireproof Rank: The three schools is of 50 years building duration, construction being classified to
Category Three, and fireproof ranking Level One.

Overall Layout: Main buildings in the school are laid out North-South. According to the distinct functions, the school
can be divided in the 3 areas: teaching area, logistic area, and the sports area.

Flow Diversion: There should be at least three exits to every building: the main exit, the secondary area exit and the
sports area exit. This layout helps to disperse the people flow, especially when in an emergency.

Fire-Fighting Passageway: Traffic flow diverges at the main entrance of each school and the vehicle way doubles as a
fire-fighting passageway, forming a circle road to ensure the free flow of the traffic. An area paved with adamant
materials should be reserved to let the fire engine pass. Overhead passages connecting buildings should be at least four
meters high to let the fire engine pass.

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 Fire Evacuating Design: Fire evacuating route should be simple and unobstructed, avoiding being circuitous, and
making sure the shortest way leading to safety places.

2.4 The Technical Requirements for Earthquake Resistant Design: It is highly recommended to use more advanced and
sophisticated foreign technologies of earthquake resistance for reference.

2.5 Requirements for Barrier-free Design: The specialty of students who suffer from a physical handicap makes the thoughtful
and careful barrier-free design the most important. In order to provide students with the incentive to focus on their study, live
more comfortably and participate in social activities freely, the removal of barriers of psychology, communication and material
environment should be taken into consideration in the design.

Material Environment-Barrier-Free Design Requirement: The planning, design, and construction of public ways,
public buildings and sports areas should all facilitate the handicapped. The design should give the public ways
conveniences to people in wheelchairs, with crutches or visual impairment. The barrier-free facilities should also be
installed in places such as entrances, ground, elevators, safety handrails, toilets, rooms, counters, etc. The barrier-free
design should be thorough and meticulous rather than merely meet the average demands of the design. The selection of
the location, indoor and outdoor barrier-free facilities for public ways and buildings should all be taken into
consideration.

Communication-Barrier-Free-Design Requirements: The public communications facilities should be accessible to

the hearing, speech, or vision-impaired groups, making it possible for them to acquire information and communication
freely by watching subtitles or listening to audible explanations in television programs or motion pictures, as well as
reading sign languages, and audio-books. By taking advantage of visual communication-barrier-free design, a
student(s) can improve his or her interaction with the environment, and enhance his positive evaluation of the
environment.

2.6 Requirements for Energy-Saving, Environmental Protection and Green Building

Energy-saving Requirements: In order to achieve energy-saving purpose, rooms should face north or south to ensure
good lighting and ventilation. The use of light colored walls built up with sand-lime bricks and hollow bricks reduces

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the heat load in the summer and cooling load in winter, and reduces the use of clay, land, and fuel, which indirectly
contributes to energy saving and environmental protection.

Other energy-saving facilities include: Energy-saving and water-saving sanitary ware valves and taps. Water meters
should be installed to each water supply pipe. Noise-reducing and resonance resistance should be taken into
consideration in the design of both water supply pipes and drainage pipes. Metal halide lamps, highly efficient energy-
saving florescent lamps and other energy-saving lamps of various kinds should be the main source of lighting. Inside
each lamp, a compensation capacitor should be installed. Fans, water pumps, air-conditioning, public places, outdoor
roads, courtyards and Pan-lighting should be in centralized control and managed by the inbuilt automatic control
system.

Environmental Protection Requirements: The surrounding environment should be especially protected from three
wastes of this project and other pollution.
1. When the project is completed, municipal waste collection vehicles should remove the domestic
waste at regular intervals.

2. Water with residue and waste oil from the kitchen should be filtered, and precipitated in an oil-
separating tank to reach certain standards before draining out through sewages. Exhaust emission
should be purified and filtrated by professional kitchen ventilation equipment.

3. During the project’s construction period, there should not be obvious negative impact on the air and
water quality.

Green Building Requirements: Energy-saving apparatus systems like water supply and water-filtration systems,
electricity supply systems and air-conditioning systems should be widely applied. For example, an ice harvester system
works as air conditioning; the same function can be realized by humid air from wells and roof cooling ponds, which
collects rainwater for recycling use. Our buildings can minimize the use of energy, water, and material to reach the
“Green Building Evaluation Criteria” – The national standard -- through various methods such as rational development
of underground space, use of renewable materials and energy, increasing outdoor water areas.

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2.7 Requirements for Campus Identification System Design:
The campus identification system should be brief, sequential, consistent, and eye-catching. The following factors shall be taken
into consideration.

1. Identify the design positioning and the requirement for display of the campus culture.

2. Analyze the inner structure and people flow diversion of the buildings in the school, such as teaching
buildings, athletic areas, places for public activities, and places for external communication.

3. The design must be kept in compliance with the style of the campus general image.

2.8 Proposals for Architectural Intelligence Design of the School

The application management system for teaching, researching, office working and learning; digital teaching system; library
system; security management system of local area network; other application systems designed to specific function
requirements by various schools.

2.9 Requirements for Landscape and Decorative Structural Design

The landscape design of all Bending Back Barrier Schools and buildings is based on the following requirements: The
pleasingly asymmetrical grasslands will cover every corner of the campus and offer colorful space for communications among
teachers and students. The functional areas can be divided into the following parts:

Entrance Square: This area can be paved in distinguished style, and will be sun-shaped, which symbolizes the
student’s youthful energy and spirit.

Tree-lined Square: When considering the plant cover of the square, two tree-lined species are preferred: Sweet scented
and brightly colored trees are preferred, which together can create different sights. Under these trees, marble benches
and statutes are installed to provide space for students to study and communicate.

Sight-viewing Avenue: Sight-viewing Avenue is on the axis of the campus, right facing the school entrance gate and
the school main road, on each side of which, huge native-grown trees are planted as a symbol of students’ perseverance
and enterprise. A theme sculpture can be installed at the end of the avenue.

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 Courtyards/Athletic Fields: Places for playtime, outdoor communication, study or assembling. It is a living center,
enclosed and adjacent to massive green belts and teaching areas, flower beds, chairs and pavilions being laid out to
create a cordial, vital and energetic space for students.

Ecology Village: A piece of land is plotted out as a vegetable patch near the campus so that the most rural area students
feel at home and thus gain confidence and self-identity from this Ecology Village.

2.10 Planting Design: Plants on campus are living specimens, which help to enlarge students’ knowledge on natural science. Wild,
native tree species are preferred.

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CHAPTER THREE – OUTLINE OF GENERAL PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURAL
DESIGN AND RELEVANT INDEX
3.1 PLANNING GUIDELINE: Our campus areas will fulfill the need of carrying out various activities and creates a peaceful
environment for studnets and teachers. Reflecting the purpose of the school running, it also gives learning opportunities and a
warm atmosphere to underpriviledged youth. Therefore, the general planning should observe the following principle.

INTEGRATED PLANNING WITH SHARED FACILITIES: Our school system will consist of an elementary, middle, and Senior
High school. To enhance the grand school image of the whole landscape, an intergrated planning should be adopted.
Concerning the functional layout, buildings should be spacious, with shared facilities such as the library and laboratory
building on distinctive locations, convenient for al students and teachers.

Crisscross Scenery, Interactive Space: Keeping pace with the change of the definition of modern education, this
planning focuses on the design of interactive space, which includes both outdoor and indoor space. These designs
provide more shared room, interactive space and rest platform. This modern style embodies the care for students,
improving the interaction among studetns and benifiting them in curing mental, psychological, social, and physical
injuries.

Sustainability and Highly Safe: Adhering to the principle of sustainability and safety, all buildings are arranged in
orderly ranks. Classrooms basically face north and south, ensuring good lighting and ventilation. For some rooms
facing east or west, they shall be used as washing rooms, or part of the teachers’ lounges. The planning also enhances
the close formation of the entire premises. The planning of campus buildings complies with a high standard of quality
with additional designs of quake-resistance, convenient-for-the handicapped, and artificial intelligence, ensuring the
security fo the campus.

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3.2 THE GENERAL PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN OF THE PROJECT

Functional Layout: The building plot is north to south trending; and the planning adopts the axis-pattern arrangement,
dividing the school into distinct functional areas.
1. Sports areas
2. Elementary Educational Areas
3. Middle School Areas.
4. Areas for Grades 9-12
5. Recreational Areas
6. Study Areas
7. Specific Classroom Areas
8. Preschool Areas
Buildings are laid out in an ingenious order along the axis when entgering the schoolyard – the Entrance Square, the
track and field area, open middle-way courtyard, passages and long corridors, etc. This will create delightful
surroundings for teachers, students, visitors, parents, caregivers, etc.

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM:
The main entrance of the school faces south widely decorated with green plants and paved with adamant
materials, satisfying the needs of temporary parking and people evacuation. Nearby the athletic fields and the
Community Resource Center should be secondary areas, satisfying the needs of fire-fighting and logistic
services.

TRAFFIC DIVERSION:
Design Goal: People flow, traffic flow and truck flow are relatively separate so as not to fall into disorder. The
traffic route is simple, making it easy to assemble and depart.

VEHICLE WAY PLANNING:

1. Level one: Sight-viewing avenue with green belts at the entrance to form beautiful scenery
2. Level two: School vehicle ways, 4-meters wide, doubling as fire fighting passageways
3. Level three: Branch ways, 2-4 meters wide

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