The UIS Floridablanca Campus, designed by architect Helmer Fabián Camargo, has a total floor area of nearly 14,000 square meters and represented an investment of more than $21,000 million.
A structure that stood unused for years now houses classrooms, laboratories, wellness spaces, and venues for education and research. This is the UIS Floridablanca Campus, one of the projects through which the Industrial University of Santander is expanding its presence in the Bucaramanga metropolitan area and strengthening its commitment to public education.
Rather than starting from scratch, the university chose to repurpose and transform an existing structure located next to the former Santander Distillery. This approach gave rise to an academic complex tailored to the current needs of both the institution and the municipality.
Architect Helmer Fabián Camargo led the design, conceiving the project around the reuse of the existing infrastructure. His approach sought to optimize resources while creating flexible spaces capable of adapting to the university’s academic dynamics.
“Rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch, the architectural decision was to view that situation as an opportunity to reuse infrastructure, optimize resources, and create a building that responds to the new dynamics of the university and the municipality,” Camargo explained during the production of the audiovisual program Vive el Patrimonio: A Decade of Transformation.
A campus designed for new academic dynamics
The result is a building with a total floor area of nearly 14,000 square meters, which required an investment of more than $21,000 million and incorporates various spaces dedicated to education, research, and well-being.
Within its facilities, the UIS Floridablanca Campus features 27 classrooms, specialized laboratories, computer labs, a public library, a gym, a cafeteria, and an auditorium with a capacity of 293 people.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the layout allows these spaces to adapt to the university’s academic programs and activities, responding to the need for versatile learning environments.
Beyond simply adding square meters to the UIS’s infrastructure, the project represents a new opportunity to bring higher education, research, and knowledge closer to the residents of Floridablanca and the metropolitan area.
Una arquitectura que reconoce la identidad de Floridablanca
The transformation also took into account the urban and historical context in which the campus is located.
According to architect Cristián Iván Hernández, the proposal drew inspiration from the project’s proximity to Floridablanca’s historic district. Based on this context, elements of the town’s architectural language were incorporated, serving as inspiration for defining aspects such as the building’s tones and color palette.
Thus, the new campus seeks to establish a dialogue between contemporary architecture and the identity of the region in which it is situated.
Restoring Infrastructure to Build the Future
The history of the UIS Floridablanca Campus represents a different approach to understanding the development of university infrastructure: revitalizing existing structures, harnessing their potential, and turning them into an opportunity to create new spaces dedicated to education.
The renovation allowed a structure that had stood unused for years to take on a new purpose and become an integral part of the university’s academic life. Today, its classrooms, laboratories, and gathering spaces are part of the UIS’s presence in Floridablanca and embody a commitment to expanding opportunities for education, research, and well-being in the region.
The UIS Floridablanca Campus is featured in “Experience Heritage: A Decade of Transformation,” an audiovisual production by the Industrial University of Santander that explores the buildings that, over the past decade, have helped transform its spaces and create new infrastructure for the university community.
Watch the full episode here:
