**The Herbarium Facility and Scientific Station** is an architectural intervention designed to integrate the educational, scientific, and cultural dynamics of Puerto Napo parish in Napo Province, Ecuador. This project, conceived with a focus on sustainability and tactical urbanism, creates a space that revitalizes the urban fabric while establishing a harmonious dialogue between the built environment and the natural surroundings.
The herbarium, the core of the facility, is configured as a specialized space for the classification, conservation, and study of endemic plant species. Surrounding it, an interpretive botanical garden shapes the landscape design, offering interactive paths that educate visitors about the ecological and cultural dynamics of the Amazonian ecosystem. This space not only serves as an educational element but also as an immersive landscape that connects visitors to local biodiversity through a carefully designed spatial narrative.
The facility also includes a residential module for researchers, featuring optimized spaces for rest and collaborative work. This architectural component aims to promote interdisciplinary interaction in an environment that combines functionality and comfort, ensuring a productive stay in close connection with the natural and cultural landscape. Additionally, a culinary space is included to celebrate traditional food practices, reinforcing local identity as an integral part of the programmatic design.
In the outdoor spaces, tactical urbanism has been used to implement geometric patterns inspired by local iconography, creating a coherent visual language that connects rest areas, an open-air theater, a functional wetland, and bicycle parking. These strategies not only structure the public space but also reinforce the cultural identity of the project by integrating it with the surrounding green infrastructure.
The design of the environment goes beyond promoting users' physical and mental well-being; it also generates ecological niches within the green areas, creating microhabitats that support biodiversity and optimize ecosystem services. This holistic approach, where architecture and landscape converge, positions the Herbarium Facility and Scientific Station as a sustainable intervention model that integrates the social, cultural, and environmental dynamics of Puerto Napo.
