Competition for innovative ideas for the design of learning spaces in Latin America and the Caribbean

Submission period February 20 to April 16, 2026

This competition is promoted by CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-, and the Panamerican Federation of Architects' Associations, and seeks to promote innovative architectural proposals in line with the state of the art in education, from an approach focused on student learning.

The Ideas Competition for Innovation in Learning Environments is open to architects from Latin American and Caribbean countries. The competition focuses on public schools at the preschool, primary, and secondary levels, encompassing all variations and models that may be developed in the participating countries. The aim is to develop innovative proposals in the field of learning space design, enabling a rethinking of educational environments at a regional level.

A fundamental requirement of this competition is to work on the concept of a situated, culturally rooted, and environmentally sustainable project, incorporating criteria of gender, diversity, and inclusion, as well as replicability and scalability. All ideas and proposals must consider design criteria appropriate to the environmental, economic, socio-cultural, pedagogical, technological, and institutional contexts, among others, striving to provide original solutions that can be adapted and transferred to similar contexts.

This emphasis on a “geocultural perspective” means that each professional, or team of professionals, must develop a proposal for a specific geographic location, according to the categories established in the competition guidelines. This proposal must include a geographic, environmental, cultural, socioeconomic, and urban/rural characterization of that specific context, and explicitly outline the project components that can be replicated (principles, systems, criteria, tools, and/or strategies), as well as the minimum conditions for their implementation in other territories.

The competition encourages the development of ideas that arise from real and identified needs in the communities for which the projects are proposed; for example, the expansion of an existing school or the construction of a new educational facility on a site with unmet needs. Furthermore, it also aims to generate ideas that can be scaled up and replicated in other locations. In other words, the aim is to strike a balance between generating projects that provide concrete solutions to identified needs and/or problems in the region, and conducting research that fosters in-depth reflection on the complexities of the learning spaces sector in our region. Simultaneously, the goal is to find specific solutions (thinking locally) that can be transferred and replicated (acting regionally).

Key areas of action

Infrastructure as a place of inclusion
Integration of infrastructure with its surroundings
Suitability and flexibility of learning spaces
Eco-efficiency and environmental sustainability
Transferability or replicability

Regions

This call for proposals covers the following regions and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with architecture and urban planning associations, councils, or colleges affiliated with the FPAA:

Northern Region
. Federación de Colegios de Arquitectos de la República Mexicana A.C. (FCARM)

Central Region
. Colegio de Arquitectos de Panamá (CAP)
. Colegio de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CARC)
. Colegio de Arquitectos de Honduras (CAH)
. Colegio de Arquitectos de El Salvador (CADES)
. Colegio de Arquitectos de Guatemala (CAG)

Caribbean Region
· Institute of Bahamian Architects (IBA)
· The Jamaican Institute of Architects (JIA)
· Sociedad de Arquitectos e Ingenieros Antillanos (SAIA)
· The Barbados Institute of Architects (BIA)
· Sociedad de Arquitectos de República Dominicana (SARD)
· The Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects (TTIA)·
· Ordre des Architectes de Martinique*
· Ordre des Architectes de Guadeloupe*
. Ordre des Architectes de Guyane*

Andean Region
· Sociedad Colombiana de Arquitectos (SCA)
· Colegio de Arquitectos de Perú (CAP)
· Colegio de Arquitectos de Venezuela (CAV)
· Colegio de Arquitectos de Bolivia (CAB)
· Colegio de Arquitectos del Ecuador (CAE)

Southern Cone Region
· Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile (CA)
· Sociedad de Arquitectos de Uruguay (SAU)
· Asociación de Arquitectos de Paraguay (APA)
· Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil (IAB)·
. Federación Argentina de Entidades de Arquitectos (FADEA)

*Those registered with national sections based in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana may submit proposals located in CAF member countries.

Schedule

Competition Launch: February 20
First Round of Inquiries Closing Date: February 26
Advisory Responses: March 1
Second Round of Inquiries Closing Date: March 15
Advisory Responses: March 25
Deadline for Submitting Proposals to the Competition: April 6-16 until 5:00 PM Caracas, Venezuela time (GMT -4)

Participation

Participation in the contest is free and open to all. Proposals, along with the Sworn Statement (Annex A), must be uploaded to this website between 8:00 AM Caracas, Venezuela time (GMT -4) on April 6, 2026, and 5:00 PM Caracas, Venezuela time (GMT -4) on April 16, 2026. Registering your profile on the online platform in advance is recommended.

Inquiries should be sent to: concursofpaacaf@gmail.com

Presentation of the works

The proposal must be submitted digitally, in Spanish, Portuguese, or English, and will consist of three non-editable PDF files:

The first file will contain four (4) A2 landscape-format sheets (up to 40 MB).
The second file will contain the Project Description.
The third file will contain the sworn statement.

*All formats are located in the "Documents" section of this website.

Anonymity

It is very important to clarify that neither the drawings, the project description, nor the file names may contain any names or information that could link them to the authors. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in disqualification from the competition.

Once the submissions are received, the advisors will assign a confidential identification code to protect the authors' identities. After the selection of the winning entries and any honorable mentions, the authors' identities will be revealed, and their compliance with the requirements of the Sworn Statement will be verified.

Consulting

The following are acting as advisors: Dr. Daniel Kozak and Dr. Roberto Busnelli, representing the FPAA. Dr. Martín Motta, representing the CAF, and Hernán Bisman, representing the FPAA, have been appointed as coordinators of the Competition.

The Co-organizers are authorized to appoint additional advisors should the current ones be unable to fulfill the required tasks.

Jury

The Jury will consist of six members:

- The CAF Social and Human Development Manager or their designee;

- The FPAA President or their designee;

- Four jurors appointed by the Co-Organizers.

The Jury will have the power to declare any of the Contest categories void, provided that a simple majority vote of the jury members present approves the decision and the reasons for such action are fully justified. The CAF representative will chair the Jury, and the FPAA representative will serve as vice-chair. In the event of a tie, the Jury Chair will cast the deciding vote.

Selected proposals

The selected participants will receive the stipulated payment of USD 6,000.00 (six thousand US dollars), less local taxes, fees, and bank charges related to national and/or international transfers, which will be deducted from the indicated amount.

Once the selected works are announced, the Competition Coordination will invite the authors to participate in a virtual workshop with the jury members. Following the workshop, the authors will be required to incorporate any minor adjustments that may arise from the discussion regarding their proposals.