PROJECT TEAM: Carlos Arnaiz, Laura del Pino, Ignacio Revenga, Canqi Mu

Our design for the New Academic Complex is a perfect blend of the structured norms of civilized knowledge with the supple agility of nature. We have created a modular floor plate that accommodates the changing curriculum of the future. It empowers teachers and administrators to plan for the growing needs of our student body by allowing an infinite number of different classroom configurations within a simple efficient 9-square structural grid supported, in turn by, an organic-shaped building deck with room for gardens, balconies and breakout spaces. The communal facilities are located on the ground, the classrooms in the middle and the administration at the top with access to a garden-filled roof terrace. The three classroom clusters have the same 9-square structural grid making it easy to share resources, distribute utilities and interchange layouts. Two circulation cores are located in the middle of the classroom clusters reducing travel distances to a minimum and ensuring ease of movement together with rapid emergency egress. The ground floor is lifted on 8-meter high pilotis and placed a curvilinear plinth that extends outwards creating smooth transitions between the surrounding landscape and the building. Students will be able to sit on the steps like at an ancient Greek amphitheater while the cafeteria, library and auditorium each have a spacious monumental entry overlooking the campus.