steven holl: doctorate's building, national university of colombia

‘doctorate’s building for the schools of law and economic sciences’ at the national university of colombia by steven holl architects in bogota image © steven holl architects

internationally-recognized steven holl architects have unveiled the design for a new doctorate’s building for the schools of law and economic sciences at the national university of colombia in bogota. featuring a centrally-located open social space, the design arranges the building in an ‘inside-out’ fashion, generating a circulation that utilizes a series of exterior walks.

building on a masterplan designed by german architect leopold rother in collaboration with fritz karsen in the 1930s, the new building reestablishes the presence of a green space by wrapping the design around the open courtyard. new routes that connect the campus’ circulatory axes are established by lifting the plan on the south side, resulting in a ‘gate-like pergola’ with a sheltered meeting point underneath.

accommodating a 600-seat auditorium, the 6,400 m2 building makes use of its roof form to collect rain water into a basin. the water recycle system is driven by solar photovoltaic cells roof which accounts for 15% of the school’s energy use. local woods and bogota stone is incorporated into the high-performance reinforced concrete, referencing the materiality and context of the site.

physical model image © steven holl architects

aerial view image © steven holl architects

sketch image © steven holl architects