Type: University
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Area: 9,300sqm
Date: Designed in 2023; currently in fundraising stage
Status: Unbuilt
Client: Universidad de los Hemisferios
Universidad de los Hemisferios commissioned EFE to design a flexible program and architecture for "a university of the future". The 9,300sqm monolithic space is inspired by Buckminister Fuller's theory of the environmental efficiency of the dome, and designed to adapt to the topography of the mountainous landscape. The university would become a visual icon in the city, as it would be seen from practically any point because of its altitude on the mountain, and acting as a beacon for open space for changing ways of learning and easy to adapt to new technologies.
With a lightweight steel skeleton structure and covered in fiber reinforced concrete, the organic shapes adapt to the mountain topography and provide specific views into the city and into nature. The open flexible spaces are divided in three main areas: learning (classrooms, labs etc), leisure and community (cafeteria, auditorium, library), and wellness (sports)