The 77,500-square-feet T-Library (La Biblioteca Central UPAEP) was completed in 2007, as part of a master plan to expand the university facilities as the student population continues to grow.

Edificio T - UPAEP, image courtesy Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos

Edificio T - UPAEP, image courtesy Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos

The University of Puebla wished to redefine the perception of their library with the new facilities, aiming to create a modern information hub for students and community members.

The simplicity of the form and materials of the building provides historic Downtown Puebla with an elegant, dignified, and definitively modern building, on a scale appropriate to the urban context of the growing city.

The new design of the T-Library opens up the interior space and brings natural light into every corner, including the basement level, where the new facility has a connection with the pre-existing library structure.

Edificio T - UPAEP, image courtesy Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos

The public areas facing the central campus are sheathed in glass to connote transparency and visibility for library guests and pedestrians- providing a visual transition into the library from the verdant landscaping of the outdoor plaza.

Public entry space within the ground level plaza provides students with dining and banking services, and also serves as an access and distribution point, leading to a skylight-illuminated atrium which connects the other five levels of the building.

Edificio T - UPAEP, image courtesy Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos

Edificio T - UPAEP, image courtesy Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos

Each level of the new library has its own windowed balcony, with dedicated study areas and lounge seating. Multiple use rooms with state-of-the-art equipment are located on the second level, and supplementary classroom space is available on the third, fourth and fifth levels. Entrances into the classrooms are also accessible from the balconies, and elevators provide disabled access to each floor of the building.

+ Project credits / data

Project: EDIFICIO T – UPAEP
Architects: Arq. José Luis Vargas Cruz (Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos), Arq. Hugo Ramírez Luna, Arq. María Eugenia Plata Ibarra
Client: UPAEP (Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla)
Location: Puebla, México
Surface Built: 7,200m2 (77,500 Ft2)
Levels: 6
Designed: 2005-2006
Built: 2008
Builder: Escalera Espinosa y Asociados
Address: 21 Sur 1103 Puebla, 72160 Mexico
Photograph Credits: José Luis Vargas, Alejandro Jarero Mora

+ Project description, images and drawings courtesy of Vargas Tejeda Arquitectos