This month, DARP (De Arquitectura y Paisaje) was announced as the winning team of the public competition for the preliminary architectural design of Building A, part of the Physical Development Plan of the University of Ibagué. The project places the university within the contemporary academic architecture landscape that characterizes the national scene.
The university's Physical Development Master Plan was created in 2018 in consultation with Taller de Arquitectura de Bogotá. Its first phase consists of the construction of Building A, a multipurpose structure that preserves existing structures rather than demolishing them. Consequently, the proposed infrastructure not only provides the necessary conditions to develop the university community's potential but also serves as a link connecting the city with the campus.
Official project description from the winning team:
TERRITORY - NATURE - ARCHITECTURE
The construction of Block A at the University of Ibagué represents an opportunity to realize the first building of a contemporary, flexible campus integrated with its natural surroundings. Respecting the site is the starting point for the proposal, which seeks to harmonize an adaptable, long-term structure with the surrounding natural systems.
The building must offer an experience tied to its environment, where the architecture reflects an understanding of the territory. The project begins by recognizing the values of its site, and its urban and natural potential as part of an integrated system.
We understand architecture as both a physical and cultural construction, capable of "transforming a site into a place" by discovering and enhancing its deepest essence, giving new value or meaning to what is found there. THE BUILDING IN SERVICE OF THE LANDSCAPE.
The project stems from the interior-exterior relationship, dialogue with the natural environment, and an understanding of its limits (enclosure), position, boundaries, composition, and the character of its envelope (openings). This serves as a synthesis of cultural and material facts that define a space in a specific, concrete site.
To achieve this, the building is stepped within the existing clearing in the forest (a footprint free of vegetation). Rather than being conceived as a single entity, it is designed as a series of volumes that build an intimate relationship with the landscape, creating enclosures and multiple spatialities between themselves and their immediate and distant surroundings.
The proposal is situated on the western side of the property to build a stepped garden that hosts spaces of all scales. This is a gathering and recreational area for the students of the University of Ibagué, utilizing the existing vegetation and enhancing its landscape value. We call this space the Patio de los Ocobos.
The blocks are oriented with open north-south facades for optimal climate and energy control, ensuring indoor comfort in high-occupancy spaces.
We began with the idea of a building that could be fragmented and permeable, where the arrangement of its parts would generate spaces for transition and gathering—a simple configuration that increases the number of usable facades for bioclimatic performance.
Urban Approach
Ordered Grid - Patio de los Ocobos
The urban approach of the project is based on a GRID that articulates the semipublic areas of the buildings with the outdoor spaces (Patio de los Ocobos), and could eventually serve as an organizing principle for the rest of the campus. This grid allows the integration of diverse uses within a single, recognizable, and repeatable system.
Building A features an open ground floor that flows through small access volumes leading to the academic programs on the upper levels.
This ground plane blurs the boundary with the exterior, opening onto the courtyard and connecting to the rest of the campus through one of its pavilions. This continuous surface is linked to the city via a large urban staircase—a new pedestrian entrance that makes the university visible from Ambalá Avenue.
The spatial configuration stems from a technical rationality: an 8x8 meter grid that organizes the site, treating the landscape and building as a single system. It utilizes a simple structure and cost-effective, high-quality materials that ensure durability and low maintenance.
Architectural Program
The spatial structure of each module is composed of three bands: two programmatic bands at the ends (classrooms and laboratories) and a hollowed-out central band that fosters gathering spaces and student interaction, becoming a place for pedagogical exchange and a natural extension of the classroom as a learning space.
The lower levels of the project host the parking and technical areas supporting the building's other activities, as well as commercial spaces and a flat-floor multipurpose room in close connection with the campus and the city.
Civic and recreational spaces, such as the Patio de los Ocobos and pavilions, articulate the new building with the existing campus, while the open ground floor functions as an extension of the public street space (Ambalá Avenue). The proposal separates vehicular and pedestrian access, prioritizing the latter with a small covered plaza and a large urban staircase that enhances the visibility of the new campus's public presence.
The second and third floors feature glazed facades housing the new laboratories, support areas, and faculty offices, placed there due to their proximity to the ground level and to foster the research-driven character promoted by these spaces.
The upper floors contain classrooms, study rooms, and double-height multifunctional spaces with voids and permeable facades, fostering continuous spatial connections with the natural surroundings. These are distributed heterogeneously to achieve a balance between formal and informal learning areas and meeting places that encourage knowledge creation.
One Building, Four Modules
Sustainability, Feasibility, and Phased Development
The proposal can be executed in four spatially, structurally, functionally, and architecturally autonomous phases, allowing it to adapt to the university's budget and financial conditions.
The first three phases are developed on the ground plane and contain the requested architectural program. The fourth and final phase houses the income-generating areas.
This phase proposes a large hall with endless possibilities for use—a flexible space connected and open to the city with permanent access from the campus, yet fully capable of operating independently as a venue for city-scale events, allowing for simultaneous activities.
Directors: Jaime Cabal - Jorge Buitrago
Associate Architect: Carlos Palacio
Project Team: Cristian Camilo Ríos, Melissa Arango, Milena Jaramillo, Sofia Patiño, Ricardo Zarate, Alejandro Pérez, Valeria Monsalve, Alexander Jiménez, and Daniel Osorio.
This article was written by Santiago Baraya. The translation is powered by AI.
