The House of Wise Words
A new model for the elementary schools in Tijuana
The House of Wise Words is a resource-starved elementary school in Tijuana, Mexico, that provides instruction in both Spanish and Mixtec, the language of the indigenous people from southern Mexico who have come north in search of work. Rob Lane and James Brown (Loeb Fellows 2009) organized a design workshop that has produced an ambitious but implementable comprehensive plan for the school. The foundational ideas of the design are security, ecological restoration, and open space improvements. Accommodations are made for new community-based programs that will make the school a place where community and multi-cultural production is celebrated. Institutional partners include Via International and EDUPAM. Consultants include Tijuana-based architects Jorge Gracia and David Castillo and Landscape Architect Alejandra Cuentes. Initial projects are under way. This project is being featured as part of San Diego-Tijuana World Design Capital.
