Art Center UAEM | REC Arquitectura

REC Arquitectura has designed the Art Center UAEM located in Morelos, Mexico.

+ Project description by REC Arquitectura

The university of Morelos is located within a special region in Cuernavaca in regard of altitude, vegetation and topography, which summed up to its programmatic requirements,  resulted in a design strategy focused on the idea of a “village” or rational settlement that naturally adapts to the terrain, offering the opportunity to build the complex in phases without interrupting or impeding the rest of the faculty activities.

Art Center UAEM, render courtesy REC Arquitectura

It is worth mentioning that the site dedicated to one of these phases was already occupied by a structure that we decided to utilize in order to reduce the total building cost, but above all, to use a building that already needed resources and energy and applied them to new needs.

The overall design intention was to make the faculty an open museum, walking through the corridors and experiencing art deployed on the classroom windows performing as showcases for student work.

Art Center UAEM, render courtesy REC Arquitectura

The project is contemplated to grow up to a 40% to its current capacity and conceived sustainable since the classroom platforms are deployed and located to naturally adapt to the site topography without major excavation activity; the roof corridors are proposed of tensile fiberglass elements in the shape of inverted cones to capture rainwater to be used in restrooms.  In regard of classroom temperature, it is proposed cross ventilation and a double masonry wall to isolate the interior space from exterior heat, a strategy widely used in houses of the region.

Art Center UAEM, render courtesy REC Arquitectura

The plaza is a design element that was not contemplated at the beginning but finally allowed to connect and articulate the renovated structure, the new buildings, the parking lot and the future faculty of architecture; this civic plaza also would work as an open movie theater.

The Art Faculty consolidates on the phase I building,  sculpture classes for big format, photography, stop motion, painting and graphics, this is the building to be reutilized.  Phase II involves the plaza, restrooms, sculpture of small format, drawing rooms, cafeteria, multimedia, animation lab, video editing, computer and network rooms and audio visual areas.  Finally, phase III involves general administration, auditorium, library, gallery and classrooms.

Art Center UAEM - Floor plan, drawing courtesy REC Arquitectura

Art Center UAEM - Section, drawing courtesy REC Arquitectura

+ Project credit / data

Project: Art Center UAEM
Location: Av. Universidad No. 1009, col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos. c.p.62209
Year: 2009 (project), 2010 (Under Construction)
Construction: 3,800 m2
Architect: Rec Arquitectura | http://www.recarquitectura.com/
Team members: Ulises Rodriguez, Ivan Garcia, Gerardo Pérez, Gustavo Lira, Jesus Mondragon, Ivan Recoder, Maria J. Jimenez y Gerardo Recoder
Typology: Culture | Art center, school

+ All drawings and images courtesy REC Arquitectura

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