OPUS, Urban Projects Office, S.A.S.

Multipurpose Building

Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez

Multipurpose Building

OPUS

ARCHITECTS
Opus

BUILDER
University Of North Concrete Structure - Metropolis S.A

PHOTOGRAPHS
Juliana Gómez

CONCRETE STRUCTURE
Metropolis S.A

HYDROSANITARY DESIGN
Juan Carlos Lagares

ELECTRICAL DESIGN
R.p.b. Ltda

SHIELDING DESIGN AND GROUNDING
Ieb Specialized Engineering

DESIGN AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
José Tobar And Cia Ltda

STRUCTURED CABLING
Ingeldatos Ltda

DESIGN OF AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
José Tobar And Cia Ltda

DESIGN SECURITY SYSTEMS
Seguritecnia

DESIGN OPUS DIRECTORS
Manuel Jaén, Carlos David Montoya Valencia, Carlos Andres Betancur, Edgar Mejía

OWNER
Universidad De Norte

COORDINATOR
Carlos Alberto Cano Bedoya, Cesar Augusto Rodríguez Navarro

TEAM COMPETITION
Carlos Alberto Cano Bedoya, Santiago Lopez Posada, Paula Paniagua, Carolina Rise

TEAM UNIVERSIDAD DEL NORTE
Jesus Ferro, Alma Lucia Díazgranados, Juan Carlos Vega, Mauricio Tinoco, Carla Fernandez, Diana Quin, Ivan Arevalo, Oscar Alvarez, John Watt, Diana Mendoza, Paola Rueda, Carlos Clavijo

OPUS DESIGN TEAM
Santiago Lopez Posada, Juan Sebastian Restrepo Aguirre, Lucas Serna Rhodes,
Natalia Estrada, Carlos Andres Rivero Well, Mariana Quintero

AREA
11220 m²

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Barranquilla, Columbia

CATEGORY
University

Text description provided by architect.

The project is a multipurpose academic building which commission was the result of a private competition held by the Universidad del Norte de Barranquilla in Colombia. This Caribbean city is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Magdalena River.

Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez

The average temperature is 28ºc and the relative humidity is of 80%; this implies a challenge for the project’s thermal efficiency and control. And behaves as a public access level with collective activities for leisure and recreation that promotes the interactions of the academic community.

With 11.220 m2, the project has a mixed academic program that consists of an archeology museum, engineering and computer laboratories, graduate and undergraduate school classrooms, 2 auditoriums and offices.

Its floors are open and flexible with a service core, technical facilities and vertical circulations. The movement of people and technical network distribution are established as systematic circuits.

Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez

The building’s double skin is a solar protection system with prefabricated lattices, supports for growing vegetation and glass panels.

At the same time, this serves as a device for climatic comfort; a natural light filter that improves visual ergonomics while allowing to enjoy the landscape and achieving a considerable electricity consumption reduction in air conditioning.

Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez

The aesthetic expression of the project is constructed upon climatic considerations on the Caribbean architecture.

By means of the constitution of the double skin we propose the conciliation of the artisanal tradition of vernacular architecture with the natural wealth and the increasing industrial activity of the port.

Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez

As an educational building, the project enhances the pedagogical labor of architecture by making visible the building’s technical systems for the learning of the students.

Achievements are communicated and shown, such as the reduction of potable water in 58% by means of separation and treatment of wastewater, among others, turning the building into an open laboratory.

Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez
Multipurpose Building
© Juliana Gómez


UNINORTE_OPUS_ED.MULTIPROPÓSITO


Multipurpose Building
Floor Plan

Multipurpose Building
Floor Plan
Multipurpose Building
Floor Plan
Multipurpose Building
Floor Plan


Multipurpose Building
Section
Multipurpose Building
 Section


Multipurpose Building
Elevation

OPUS, Urban Projects Office, S.A.S.
T +57 604 4796796 M +57 323 7394624
OPUS, Urban Projects Office, S.A.S.
Cl. 11 #43b-50 oficina 204, El Poblado, Medellín, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia