UPC Campus

We were asked in this competition to think the common spaces of a University: 8 buildings were happening above floor and we had to think how they met in the underground.


We started by understanding the intervention area.


Then seeing which part of the program was circulation and which was going to be a closed, chopped space.


As we were doing a connection space, the circulation comes in the middle to connect to the different buildings at both sides.


Then this space gets deformed to seek for the light (some patios that where digging into the -1 level) and through this action we were creating bigger meeting spaces, like small plazas.


And finally we shaped the interior space of the room separating what could be really dark spaces (storages, changing rooms...) with the semi-public space (shops, gyms...), which could enjoy from the common space but required a controlled entrance.


And this was the resulting space of the 3 different typologies.


A conceptual view of the common space, being defined by two meandrical glass surfaces that created different access typologies and allowed for bigger meeting spaces.


A view of the common space showing this abstract fluid space with a transversal indifferent grid having all the required installations and offering this way big flexibility.


Another view of the common space, with the porch to the patio: a "smoking" room treated exactly as the other rooms.


View from a room: in the rooms the light goes down (direct) and in the common space goes up (indirect).


A plan showing the several space typologies.


A section showing the several light conditions and the tubes of the main installation channels. Height was fixed by the space.


Installations worked as the main concept: two meandrical main channels bring electricity to each point, and transversal lines distribute it through the rooms.


Illumination concept.

This competiton was done with RdL, estudio PVI and JTa; Arau Acústica also joined us as consultant.

Congratulations to the winners!

More info about this project under the UPC label
http://raichdelrio.blogspot.com/search/label/_UPC

More information about us at
http://www.raichdelrio.com/