For the Compensar University Foundation, Bermúdez Arquitectos places commercial premises and the library on the lower floors. The main lobby is located on the third floor, accessed from the public space via an escalator, while the upper floors house academic and business spaces.
The structure that wraps around the façade, combined with four large supports containing the technical spaces and evacuation staircases, frees up the interior spaces by eliminating the need for intermediate supports and enhancing their flexibility.
Compensar University Foundation by Bermúdez Arquitectos. Photograph by Jairo Llano.
Project description by Bermúdez Arquitectos
Urban densification and the growing demand for new academic institutions in urban centres have led to the proliferation of vertical university campuses in the city of Bogotá. This case, located in the geographical centre of the city, is particularly interesting due to the specific requirements for hybridising traditionally separate programmes, bringing them together to create a unique space in the country where academia, wellbeing and business can interact symbiotically.
The first levels are dedicated to commercial premises and the library, both open to the general public. It is not until Level 3 that the main lobby appears, accessed via escalators directly from the public space. At the heart of the building (Floors 9 and 10) is the wellbeing space, with non-formal education programmes for all age groups. This acts as a transition between the business spaces on the lower floors—which include rentable spaces and a small convention centre designed to encourage interaction—and the upper floors, which house the university’s academic spaces.
The façade structure, combined with the four large legs that contain the technical spaces and evacuation staircases, eliminates the need for intermediate supports in the interior spaces, enhancing their flexibility. Vertical circulation takes the form of an architectural promenade through escalators that move throughout the building, interweaving the different programmes, encouraging interaction between different groups and awakening the curiosity of all visitors.
