The University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC), located in the Barranco district in Lima, was awarded “Best Building in the World” by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
This building was designed by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, also awarded with the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2020. The grand jury of the prestigious organization decided to award this prize due to the building’s structure going against conventional beauty, while perfectly integrating as part of the Lima landscape.
The building maximizes consumption through innovative design strategies and systems. It took into consideration the direction of the wind to provide comfortable spaces without the need to implement a mechanical ventilation system. In the same way, the orientation and architecture considered the positioning of the sun and shades to be able to generate a maximum savings in electrical energy.
One of the challenges to reach the LEED certification of this building was the negotiation with the USGBC to approve the building’s natural ventilation as valid without the use of mechanical systems. It was educational and entertaining.
