Search

Search

ACTIU Berbegal y Formas, S.A.
Projects / Education / UDLA

Panama

new ways of learning at UDLA

Offices

Objective

Universidad de Las Américas is the largest private institution in Ecuador. For 27 years, it has been working to provide a student-centred educational experience of excellence. This is why, when it planned the expansion of its infrastructure on the UDLAPark campus, it called Contract Workplaces, a specialist in connecting people, space and technology, who worked on this project together with BMA Estudio.

The project aimed to achieve a building that would facilitate learning the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century, such as problem solving, critical thinking, empathy, emotional intelligence, creativity and innovation. For this extension project, the university needed the creation of classrooms, laboratories, offices, a restaurant and dining room, library, auditorium, multi-purpose hall, car park, terraces and accessible gardens, some newly created spaces and others improved and adapted to the new learning needs.

After analysing the space, the aim was to make it adaptable to a wide range of uses, incorporating solutions that allow audiovisual equipment to be concealed when not in use, as well as the equipment control area used by IT staff.

Solution

Expansion of the Universidad de Las Américas building open to the surrounding area

From the outset, it was clear that the project had to respect and adapt to the existing building, achieving a harmonious integration of aesthetics and functionality. The premise was to open up to the surroundings, incorporating the views of the valley and integrating the topography. The aim was to integrate the outdoor and intermediate spaces as areas for regular use by students. The new building covers 32,000 m² distributed over 8 floors and 6 basements incorporating stunning views in its design.

Ergonomic and flexible furniture

Depending on the needs of each space, we sought furniture that fitted the aesthetics of the new building, but above all the functionality of the space. For this purpose, light and versatile tables and chairs, such as the Talent table model, have been used to adapt each room to any activity, depending on whether more or less capacity and work surface is required. For the interaction and meeting spaces, Actiu has defined a multitude of functional, comfortable and design solutions, with modular furniture, with fluid designs.

Benefits achieved

UDLA now has a building designed to focus on its users. The classrooms are now designed to be restructured for different dynamics: lectures, individual projects, team projects, innovation, debate and presentation, among others thanks to versatile furniture that allows for greater interaction; a concept that differs greatly from traditional design.

Architects/Interior designers
BMA Architects & Contract Workplaces
Location
Quito, Ecuador
Customer
University of the Americas
Area
32.000 m²
Related products

Discover Workspaces

Discover real office projects in which the structural and decorative elements of the rooms complement each other, allowing for prolonged use, and which contribute to creating and defining the corporate identity.

Related projects