EXPLORACIÓN DE ESTRUCTURAS FORMALES EN AMBIENTES EDUCATIVOS

Abstract

The monograph “Exploring New Formal Structures in Educational Environments” develops a critical reflection on the relationship between architectural form, structure, and contemporary learning models. It begins by acknowledging that much of educational architecture has maintained rigid and repetitive configurations derived from traditional pedagogical paradigms, highlighting the need to explore more flexible and dynamic structures that respond to current educational practices. The study is based on theoretical contributions from Gottfried Semper, Herman Leupen, Martí Arís, and Joaquín Arnau Amo, whose proposals allow us to understand architecture as a cultural system where technique, experience, and symbolism converge. Semper emphasizes the importance of the building envelope as a technical and social mediator, stressing that spatial delimitation constitutes an essential component of architectural habitation (Semper, 2014). Leupen proposes the distinction between permanent supports and variable systems as the foundation for contemporary spatial flexibility. Martí Arís delves into the concept of type as a stable and transformable structure, which allows for the reinterpretation of educational typologies without disrupting their historical continuity. Arnau Amo highlights the rhythmic and sequential dimension of architectural space, noting that the bodily experience of movement organizes the perception and use of architecture (Arnau Amo, 2014). Methodologically, the research articulates this conceptual framework with the analysis of references such as Lina Bo Bardi and SANAA. Works like the MASP, with its suspended structure and open plan, demonstrate how architecture can generate open and socially active spaces (Duque, 2011). Complementarily, SANAA projects such as the Zollverein School, the Bocconi Campus, and the Osaka University of Arts – Art & Design Department Building showcase strategies of structural lightness, spatial continuity, and transparency, useful for reflecting on contemporary educational environments (ArchDaily, 2008). Through redrawing, comparison, and formal exploration, guidelines are identified that allow these 13 principles to be adapted to the programmatic and regulatory conditions of educational institutions in Tunja. The study concludes that exploring new formal structures offers an opportunity to critically examine the relationship between architecture, pedagogy, and community. Spaces conceived with adaptability, environmental integration, and user participation in mind foster more collective, inclusive, and territorially sensitive learning processes. Thus, the research establishes a theoretical and design framework for understanding educational architecture as an open system, capable of transcending the strict function of the program and shaping holistic experiences that promote creativity, autonomy, and a sense of community in contemporary learning environments.