University of Engineering and Technology – UTEC / Grafton Architects + Shell Arquitectos

Text description provided by architects. The project for the building of the new University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) is located in the Barranco district on the seafront, in the area facing the Malecón Armendariz on Almirante Grav Avenue, Medrano Silva Street and Enrique Barron Street. The project consists of reinforced concrete structural slabs perpendicular to the Malecón Armendáriz, in which different project environments such as classrooms, laboratories, offices, gardens are created. The combination of the geometry of the structural plates and the blocks with the “A” section responds to Grafton Architects’ search for a “man-made cliff”, creating a landscape integrated with the surrounding environment. The project includes green areas for student use at different levels and creates attractive indoor circulations for the user.

The entire building has 10 floors and has a large garden area on level 06 and rooftop on level 09. The slabs with the „A” section lean towards the Malecon Armendariz, while the plan joins the scale of the buildings around the barranco.

• Communication with the City of Lima;

Lima’s unique position is the starting point for design. The dramatic relationship between Lima and the sea, the great cliffs that define the border between the city and the sea, the green valleys that turn inland from the sea to the city, all these features were the starting points of the project. The UTEC site is part of one of the green „fingers” connecting the sea and the city. Based on this location, the plan for the new UTEC campus is a „man-made cliff”, a series of rocks at the edge of the sea, clearly defined in its new location.

To the north, the site faces more traffic routes, but also the further expansion of the city. One of the main facades of the project includes the northern facade, visible from the surrounding city and traffic flow, and from this point we seek to consolidate the image of the university in the public mind.

Staggered gardens;

While the northern facade acts as a „cliff” to the fast-moving city, the southern facade is strung over a series of gardens that seek to integrate with the urban scale below this part of the Barranco district. From the first level to the „logia” at the highest point, the landscape is woven throughout the building. The terrain is mainly south facing, but it is integrated and visible from the „cliff” on the north face. The project represents an apparent harmony between the man-made and the organic. Natural light is circulated through the entrance areas. The topography of the campus is carefully defined in relation to the natural landscape with tall trees, humidity of the environment; In the classrooms a desert of small trees and stones is proposed for the „logia” level. The landscape is integrated into the design of the southern facade to have the appearance of a vertical garden on this facade facing Barranco.

Privacy in educational settings;

UTEC, the University of Engineering and Technology, is a new campus that combines a graduate school and cultural center. The project includes an auditorium, research laboratories, classrooms, research offices, a library, meeting rooms and community areas, including a theater open to the public, a cinema, exhibition spaces, a café and a restaurant. The plan proposes a scaled structure facing the avenue, with successive terraced gardens on one side facing the rapid transit Armendaris Avenue, and on the other side residential-scale, small-scale urban areas. The building’s public circulation occupies blocks and spaces facing the street with a dramatic relationship with the city and sea. Instead, teaching environments are oriented toward gardens and terraces overlooking the barranco.

social and spatial communication;

Academically, this layer of vertical strategy connects the platform to the sky. We mark the perimeter of the avenue, placing the general cultural environments of the university, theater and cinema at the base of the „cliff”. These are accessed from the main public space on level 1 and these environments seek to promote cultural social interaction with a wider audience in conjunction with the cafeteria.

A student information center and centralized staircase further enliven the main entry space. A large dining room also faces this entrance to the west, the terraces and the sea. Special laboratories are not hidden, not buried, but rather they are revealed as exhibition spaces, positioned at the center of the project, related to the daily movement of the campus, central to the sense of education.

Large-scale blocks are located close to the grounds, with teaching, administration and offices for teachers perched on the upper levels. On the upper levels near the roof is the library with panoramic views of the city and sea. Level +6, along with the first level and the roof are also considered areas of social importance. This level enjoys large free areas, large laboratories with cafeterias overlooking social spaces and terraces.

As one rises through the various levels, the relationship with the city continues. A whole series of motions renders framed images to wider horizons outside the chit boundaries. The „nose” or „bow” of the complex faces the sea.

climate response;

The main circulation hall facing the avenue and the city benefits from its orientation towards the sun, while protecting the academic environment from noise pollution from the avenue. The wall facing the avenue is strengthened by the presence of „beams”-like environments occupied by spaces overlooking the environment.

Teaching areas and plants on the terrace create a microclimate that allows a pleasant environment to meet and relax on the terraces and circulation sheltered areas. The stair area provides shade to public spaces and teaching areas in summer and allows natural light to penetrate the building in winter. We’ve worked with lighting studies to ensure just the right amount of natural light on overcast days.

All laboratories, classrooms and teaching environments are cross ventilated. Exposed structural thermal mass can be used to cool on hot days and delay heat transfer. The location and use of the building make the project an urban landmark.