This project was developed as a proposal for a contest for the remodeling of the existing building of the “Universidad de las Americas Library” in collaboration with JAR Architects.
THE CONCEPT
The concept is a consequence of various reflections that respond to the recent changes concerning the ways that the information is gathered, selected, processed, and addressed since it has become more relevant to create and share knowledge and information.
Consequently, the spaces involved in such processes must respond to conditions where the main users, who are the university students, don’t only act as information consumers, but also generate and participate in the creation of knowledge.
BECOMING THE HEART OF THE CAMPUS
The main objective of the proposal is to situate the library as the heart of the campus and the student’s life, for such effect, a series of structural and formal re-organization operations will take effect, in a way that will transform the building into a programmatic hybrid.
The idea is to re-signify the role of the building, so it becomes a true epicenter due to not only its location but also, and more importantly, for the opportunity that it will provide for each member of the community to feel identified, and well-received in this heart of the campus; in a building proposal that is compatible with the university values: liberty with responsibility, tolerance, no discrimination, honesty, integrity, solidarity, and transparency.
Last, the temporality of the intervention is recognized, since it is imminent that changes will continue to occur in the educational models, and in the way information is accessed, and, for this reason, the remodeling must satisfy, in all ways possible, the natural future changes, hence the projected spaces provide transformative and adaptability qualities, providing a flexible infrastructure that will remain easy to adapt to the future challenge.