The Tambo Project

The Tambo Collective: An Innovative Experiment in Collaborative Design

The Tambo Collective is a group of inspired students and teachers that came together through past field schools to collaborate on the plans and design of our institute. One of our core missions is creative collaboration across cultures and disciplines. For this reason, we believe the Amazon Medicine Institute should be built in the same spirit. Over the next five years, we will work with a network of partner organizations and institutions and pool our creative resources to develop ecological design solutions that will be responsive to the needs of the community. One of our unique design challenges is to conceive and build live/work residential pods or “tambos” where visitors can spend extended time immersed in the rainforest while working on their research or healing work.

The Tambo Concept

Modelled on the concept of a traditional tambo, a simple single person rainforest dwelling, these residential spaces must be mobile, ecological built, and offer guests an immersive experience in the rainforest while working on site. They must be designed with lightweight materials that can be assembled anywhere. And importantly, they must be a pleasure to stay in, be full of natural light and offer comfort and solitude while in being close proximity to other guests.

The Situate Design Build Summer Studio 

The Tambo Collective is working in collaboration with Toronto based international architectural summer studio, Situate Design Build, to develop important aspects of the centre in an ongoing five-year building project. Situate Design Build offers architecture students from any architecture/interior design programme a fascinating experience developing their ideas and designs on site in Peru and in collaboration with local Peruvian students. Future development of the “tambo” project involves cooperation with the Department of Architecture and Urbanism at one of Peru’s most prestigious universities, the PUCP, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.

The Fanshawe Tambo Collective 2019

In 2019, students embarked from Fanshawe College, Ontario, Canada, on an architectural field school to develop a master site plan and tambo design for Arkaea. After spending several days in Lima exploring archaeological precedents and cultural sites, they headed first to Pucallpa and then following to the rainforest field site at the Aguas Termales Reserve. There they brilliantly conceived of the master plan of the concession site and concepts for innovative tambo, modelled on the form of a seedpod.

The group then returned to Lima where they developed their final ideas and presentation on campus at the department of Architecture and Urbanism at the PUCP.

The Humber Tambo Collective 2018

On 2018, our inaugural group of Situate Design Build students came from Humber College programme of architecture and interior design. After spending a number of weeks in June developing their concepts in Toronto, our young designers embarked to Peru where they experienced one action-packed week of adventure. After first visiting important archaeological and architectural sites and partner educational institutions in Lima, they travelled on to Pucallpa where the connected with local organizations and explored the Ucayali region. Finally, they made the trek to the Arkaea concession in the rainforest. There they brainstormed the first concepts for the tambo designs. Informed by the latest scientific research into the essential importance of exposure to nature to creativity and healing, tambos are both sustainable buildings and biophilic spaces, designed for long term creative residencies at the centre. 

The results? The students had a fantastic time! They visited the rivers and explored the forest like intrepid explorers. They made new connections and friends. They experienced nature and culture they had never seen before. Finally, they developed some truly innovative design solutions after spending four days at the Aguas Thermales Reserve and three days developing their ideas in Pucallpa. These designs will be featured on the website when completed and will inform the building of a new structure on the site in the upcoming year. 

Tambo Collective 2023

Are you a designer or architecture looking for a project to collaborate on or a student in quest of an incredible learning experience? Our new tambo collective will work in collaborative with Peruvian designs to create the master designs for the The Amazon Medicine Institute. Contributing partners will embark on a fantastic two week mission to Peru in the summer of 2023 to collaborate on the project. We’ll send you an information package. For more information on how you can get involved in the Tambo Collective or our other exciting future architectural projects and programmes, please contact us.