The Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) officially began the demolition of the buildings that for decades housed the hydraulics laboratory of the School of Civil Engineering, the workshops of the School of Industrial Design, and the High Voltage laboratories of the School of Electrical, Electronic, and Telecommunications Engineering (E3T). This step marks the beginning of one of the most ambitious academic infrastructure projects in the institution’s recent history: the construction of the new Physical-Mechanical Engineering Faculty Complex.
“Today we are beginning a process that symbolizes change, modernization, and the UIS’s commitment to training 21st-century engineers,” said Rector Hernán Porras Díaz, as he presided over the symbolic ceremony that marked the start of construction on the central campus.
The new complex seeks to modernize academic spaces, strengthen coverage, and equip the Faculty with state-of-the-art laboratories, responding to the demands of contemporary higher education. “This project represents a debt we owed to our Faculty of Engineering: to offer broader, more innovative environments in line with the current demands of science and technology,” said the rector.
With funds from the national government allocated to the university’s budget, the UIS will directly undertake the construction work, which will speed up the process and optimize construction procedures. According to institutional projections, the new complex could be ready by the second half of 2026.
Rector Porras Díaz emphasized that every construction project undertaken by the institution “seeks to dignify the public sphere,” highlighting the University’s ethical commitment to collective well-being. “Everything we do must contribute to the common good. In each project, we strive to incorporate the latest technology, always for the benefit of the university community,” he stressed.
During the tour of the demolition site, the director acknowledged the mixture of nostalgia and hope that this process generates. “When something you have used and enjoyed is destroyed, there is nostalgia, but also joy and expectation for what is to come,” he said, before leaving a reflection that transcends infrastructure:
“Destroying is easy, building is difficult. And that lesson applies not only to buildings, but also to life. When we destroy someone with a word or a post on social media, we must remember that we are affecting a life.”
For his part, the dean of the Faculty of Physical and Mechanical Engineering, Johan Farith Petit Suárez, expressed his enthusiasm for a project that fulfills a need identified several years ago in the University’s Infrastructure Master Plan.
“We are very happy because, after 77 years of history, the Faculty will have modern spaces that respond to new growth dynamics. This work will allow us to create new programs, expand coverage, and strengthen the UIS’s presence in the territories,” Petit Suárez said.
The dean recalled with emotion the years he spent in the old laboratories, while celebrating the arrival of a new era: “I was a student and professor here, so I have fond memories. However, now we will have a sustainable infrastructure, with modern laboratories, offices for teachers, spaces for research groups, and classrooms that meet international standards.”
Likewise, the director of the School of Electrical, Electronic, and Telecommunications Engineering, José Alejandro Amaya Palacio, highlighted the academic and scientific value of the project for the integration of the 13 schools that make up the Faculty. “This complex represents an enormous but necessary institutional effort. It will allow us to work more closely together, strengthen the education of more than 9,000 students, and optimize the work of faculty and administrative staff,” he said.
With this project, the UIS reaffirms its commitment to quality public education, innovation, and sustainable development, consolidating its national and international leadership in training engineers who contribute to Colombia’s progress and transformation.
