Faculty of Education of the University of Alicante
Alicante, Spain
We want to make the most of the good weather of Alicante. We have tried to design a proposal where the exterior spaces expand and complement the interior ones. The building folds embracing the exterior spaces that, without being closed entirely, encompass them, and can be understood as the continuation of the classroom corridors.
A very important part of university life happens in corridors, in the spontaneous encounters that take place there. We consider them key spaces in the design of the building and not just circulation areas. That is why in the new building these areas are large and articulated spaces, and can open up in summer, with good ventilation. They open up to the garden, establishing a good relationship with it, and mostly with the warm weather, when the sliding curtain wall disappears and then these spaces become terraces overlooking the garden.
The selection of materials seeks simplicity, with a screen of concrete columns that become
tilted walls on the facade, giving the building dynamism and sheltering the garden space even more. The sunnier facades, which are also the more urban ones, are protected with a brise-soleil of prefabricated concrete. The zinc roof has longitudinal cuts to ensure natural ventilation and light in the small offices, which we always place under the roof.
Project data
Area
14.140 m2 Gross Floor Area
Year
2005
Status
Competition
Client
Public – Universidad de Alicante
Team
Main Architect: Carme Pinós
Architects: Juan Antonio Andreu, Holger Hennefarth, Agustín Pérez-Torres, Elsa Martí, Samuel Arriola Clemenz