The constant heat of the tropics calls for open buildings, effective solar protection and air flow. To cool down occupants, strategies should aim to maintain the temperature indoors below that of outdoors, and for air to flow at body height. Also, with only the sight of the sky, glare can become intolerable, which is crucial to maintain adequate visual conditions in classrooms. In this case, the objective was to provide the adequate angles, width and length of the horizontal and vertical planes in order to protect the interior from direct sun, the sight of the sky and to foster natural ventilation. PET (Physiologically Equivalent Temperature) is an indicator of felt temperature. In this case, the main building was made open and with a thatched roof to insulate from the heat and to bring down the felt temperature below that of the air. The classrooms with more enclosed walls and a metallic roof (although doubled with a ventilated gap) have a PET higher than the air temperature.

Palenque Cultural Tambillo is a cultural center dedicated to the continuing artistic traditions of the Afroecuadorean town of Tambillo. The project is composed of a main volume housing the dance hall and three secondary buildings, two of them multi use classrooms and one instrument workshop

Tambillo is located in the equator. Its climate is classified as Tropical rainforest climate [Af] by Koppen Geiger. Temperatures are very stable throughout the year, with daily highs around 29ºC and lows of 21ºC. The rainy season occurs from June to October, with slightly lower temperatures. The sun is quite vertical most of the day throughout the year. Lowest midday inclination angles occur during June and December, reaching 66º, which is comparable to the highest summer solar angle of Paris. The sun comes half of the year from the north, and half of the year from the south. Any sun ray reaching indoors or the built-up of occupants heat will raise internal temperatures beyond comfortable levels very fast. The design of effective shading and natural ventilation strategies is essential to evacuate any indoor heat and maintain comfortable conditions indoors. Prevailing wind blows from south orientations during most of the year. Wind velocities are constant in the range of 3.2 m/s.