Shade is the Luxury

Three of the world’s fastest-growing towns are in the Galapagos. Their ill-considered construction threatens the islands’ iconic ecosystem, and the Ecuadorian government is urgently seeking sustainable architecture at every scale.

This project proposes solar power–collecting shade structures outside the schools of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the islands’ capital. There are seven schools, each serving as the heart of its neighborhood.

Beyond providing energy for underfunded schools, the structures create communal gathering spaces where parents linger three times a day, weekend vendors set up stalls, and neighborhoods host social events. As one resident put it: “Shade is the luxury of which there is the greatest shortage.”

The design suggests a new civic architecture born from environmental technology. The Galapagos are ideal for solar energy, yet electricity is still generated from diesel fuel shipped 1,000 kilometers from the mainland.

While easily adaptable, the design remains consistent in its iconography. Draped, locally produced fabrics—custom patterns to come—distinguish each neighborhood or school. Lightweight frames use the photovoltaic panels’ weight to tighten a cable system, ensuring lateral stability.

A transnational, multidisciplinary design team led by myself and Marisa Paz of Materia Arquitectura in Quito is collaborating with local residents, community leaders, and engineers from Ecuador’s solar industry. The town’s mayor has already provided seed funding to build the first canopy.