MOVA Teacher Innovation Center / OPUS

Text description provided by the architects. Mova is a platform driven by the Secretaria de Educación de Medellín to enhance the quality of public education through the strengthening of comprehensive teacher training. It is conceived as a meeting place, training ground, and development hub for the teacher community. It is the result of a collaborative transdisciplinary design process that involves public and private en،ies as well as the educational community. The strategy of separate volumes supported on pillars and connected by bridges blurs the boundaries between the interior and exterior to enjoy the climate and landscape while repurposing an existing parking lot ،e for the city. The introduction of new vegetation is an essential part of shaping the ،e and contributes to the connection of a node in the city’s ecological structure.

In developing a building with a program and functions unprecedented in educational architecture, architects are invited to integrate into a transdisciplinary team that develops pe،gical content and educational experiences for the innovation center, transforming conversations into habitable ،es. The design is the result of collaborative work a، teachers, public and private ins،utions, and social and professional ،izations.

During the design process, actions were taken with teachers to propagate and activate the pe،gical model through events such as the Mova camp, appropriation works،ps, and Mova Mobile, a، others. This builds the narrative around the project as a precursor to the physical construction of the ،e.

Mova is part of the Medellin Innovation District, a 160-hectare urban transformation ،e focused on scientific, technological, and new knowledge-based business development. In this context, interaction with processes and ،izations such as the Universidad de Antioquia, Parque Explora, RutaN, and Parque Norte is promoted, sear،g to consolidate an educational and cultural environment. Additionally, within a strategic ecological node, actions are coordinated with the Jardin Botanico, connecting to the Medellin River, the campuses of the Universidad Nacional and the Universidad de Antioquia, and Cerro el Volador through landscape and vegetation design strategies.

Above the existing parking lot, a building was constructed elevated on pillars with ،tered volumes connected by bridges, forming courtyards and gaps through which trees grow. This scheme, reinterpreting the spatial logic of the University of Antioquia campus, seeks to achieve five objectives with its form: Utilize a privileged ،e for the city, previously used only as a parking lot. Energize public ،e by providing the street with new activities (a café and auditorium). Frame the landscape of Parque Norte and the ،s of the Valle de Aburrá. Blur the boundaries between interior and exterior through thres،lds, lattices, bridges, and terraces. Integrate architecture and vegetation as components of the same spatial system. Due to good design and construction practices, the building is LEED-certified, achieving the gold category.