Final+Project


 * Plaza Cubierta U.C.V **

 Venezuela is situated north of South America with coasts surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. It is a country of rich and vast land, it has beaches, mountains and plains, it’s a country located in the tropics where the potential for architectural and urban growth is enormous. One example of this exploitation of natural resources is The Plaza Cubierta of The Central University of Venezuela. It was designed by the architect Carlos Raul Villanueva like a center for the culture and the recreation in the university, this place is an exceptional example of modern architecture thanks to some feature you will make it unique and worthy of admiration.

One of these characteristics is the color, it is a tool of the architect, who used to be transmitted in a sublime space situational changes, this technique is used in “La Plaza Cubierta” through various colorful works of renowned artists such as Navarro, Manaure, Barrios, Otero, Bogen, Narvaez and Vigas. Placed in specific locations in order to create a synthesis of artistic works in an architectural work, where both disciplines they are complimentary and become an indivisible whole.



The light in architecture is very important to generate different sensations to the viewer. In the case of “La Plaza Cubierta”, the light is fully exploited, since, this architect designed the structure so that light plays an important role in his work. It is the light that is responsible for defining the space of the square, and it produces different feelings and shades of light and dark depending on time of day through openwork walls, holes in ceilings and big hits that have the square. It is the light that guides the people through various shades of shadows in the hallways, the library and the auditorium to the center of the square. Added to this are the different textures that can be seen in the square, these textures are located in specific places, whose purpose is to differentiate the spaces that are connected together but serve different functions, exploiting the feelings of each place, for example, passing through the halls of this great structure can appreciate different textures on the walls and wall depth or concrete walls that are transmitted when space is a space for movement and when a permanent space. At the same time the acoustics in the “Plaza Cubierta” allows you to distance yourself from everything that happens outside of it, giving you the feeling of protection as long as you stay there. Other characteristic is the scale, the scale let to give appropriate size to spaces. In the case of The Plaza Cubierta although being horizontal, its adjusts scale to human been let to people feel comfortable in this public space, it give the sensation of liberty. At the same time The Plaza Cubierta use the rhythm and the circulation for accentuate the horizontality of the space but don’t do that of the conventionality form in this case Villanueva decided play with the location of the column it’s don’t follow a line these are scattered throughout the square generate the sensation of movement without a unique way and the same time each column becomes in a point of break and give unity for all square.

In the case of the circulation in The Plaza Cubierta only exist the horizontal circulation because it have one floor but Villanueva give life to the circulation though some details like de position of beams and the texture of floor, the line draws on the floor are in a different direction respect to the beams, it accent the sensation of movement and impulse the circulation.

Like we can see The Plaza Cubierta is a beautiful and admirable achieve of the architecture, it’s and the Central University in general has to be a pride of all Venezuelans because it’s a magnificent work of art that involve architecture, sculpture and painting in a unique spaces. Some peoples the majority really don’t know the value of the space like The Plaza Cubierta but we like and architects and urban planning are in the obligation though works like this to show their the beautiful spaces and buildings that exist in our country and teach their the value and the beauty of this spaces to preserve and take care it.

media type="custom" key="7804937"