The University of Málaga's Faculty of Tourism, designed by Vaillo + Irigaray Architects, is a stunning example of modern architecture that pays homage to the rich history of cloisters and courtyards. The building's design is a testament to the studio's commitment to preserving tradition while incorporating contemporary elements. The Faculty of Tourism is a sprawling, low-lying campus that provides 22,904 square meters of teaching spaces and student facilities as part of the university's expansion of its Teatinos campus to the west of Málaga's center.
The building is divided into three primary volumes, each positioned according to the topography of the gently sloping site. These rectilinear volumes are divided according to function, with each organized around a courtyard designed to have a distinct "personality." One volume contains classrooms, another houses departmental offices, while the third has an auditorium, library, and cafeteria. The classroom and office volumes overlook gravel-lined gardens with concrete planters, while to the south, the cafeteria and auditorium overlook a paved courtyard with rows of palm trees.
The external concrete grid acts as a colonnade that shades the faculty's cloister-like corridors lined with full-height glazing. Each volume is organized around a courtyard, which reinforces the personality of each space, creating a green, cool, and welcoming area around which all activity revolves, thus becoming a protected outdoor social space. The structure becomes the essential architectural element of the project, capable of organizing the program and defining its image.
The building's image is formed by an exposed, in-situ concrete structure, both interior and exterior, with very slender, 15-centimeter-thick sections. The three volumes are united by a central hall at its heart, which was conceived as an internal courtyard. It is topped by a sawtooth, skylit roof that filters daylight through a ceiling of concrete beams. The corridors that wrap this central space connect directly to each volume's cloister, uniting them all around a flexible, open area that can be used for events and exhibitions.
Surrounding the faculty building, a series of landscaped and paved slopes has been introduced, including a botanical garden, overlooked from perimeter windows set within the deep concrete grid. The photography is by Rubén Pérez Bescós.
