A Durango University Tower Wrapped in Stained-Glass-Inspired Facets

A new educational tower in Durango, Mexico, has a glass skin modelled on the stained-glass windows of Gothic cathedrals. The building, Torre UAD Alamedas, was designed by the local practice Jonathan Corral Arquitectos for Universidad Durango Santander (UAD), a private university with campuses in several Mexican states.

The building is triangular in plan and sits on a site overlooking Las Alamedas, a tree-lined promenade in Durango. Dezeen reports that it covers 7,987 square metres across eight levels above a basement.

Inside, the tower holds classrooms, studios, meeting rooms, auditoriums, offices and a cafeteria. It also includes a courtroom for mock trials, where law students can practise hearings in a setting modelled on a real court.

The most striking feature is the facade. The central section has a glazed lift, meaning one with glass walls, and a faceted curtain wall. A curtain wall is an outer layer of glass and panels that hangs on the building's frame rather than holding the structure up. Here, dark vertical bars called mullions frame triangular panes of glass, which give the surface its angled, jewel-like look.

The main elevation faces north. One part is clad in grey fibre-cement panels, a board made from cement reinforced with fibres. Another part is covered by a black metal screen.

Jonathan Corral Arquitectos describes itself as a contemporary architecture practice based in Durango. It lists Torre UAD Alamedas among its projects on its official website. Archinect, which also lists the project under the firm's name, says the design brings together the educational programme, the structure, public space and the surrounding urban landscape. It does so through a sequence of voids, which are open spaces, and circulation routes, the paths people take through a building.

For students, that means teaching spaces, performance and presentation rooms, and a practice courtroom all sit within one tower. For the people walking along Las Alamedas, the building is a new neighbour on the promenade. Its glass and angled panes are visible from the street, where the tree-lined walk meets the university's front door.