The Infrastructures UV project constits of finished projects, projects in progress and the short-term project plans for the construction of new buildings and the refurbishment and preservation of existing structures. The principal of the UV, María Vicenta Mestre, has stated that this project is a ‘joint effort’ and that it ‘will improve the quality of life and meet the immediate needs of the university community’.

The head of the Technical Unit, Ambrosio Ferer, and the Head of the Technical and Maintenance Service, Cristina Mateo, gave an overview of the main projects on the two campuses and explained the complexity of this initiative that aims to modernise and renovate infrastructures with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and accessibility.

Also in attendance at the launch events were the Dean of the Tarongers Campus Elena Mut, Dean of the Burjassot Campus Rafael Ibáñez, Dean of Pharmacy and Food Science Hortensia Rico, Dean of Biological Sciences Ismael Mingarro and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Physics Maria Amparo Díez.

Tarongers Campus

The Tarongers Campus, inaugurated in 1995, has evolved significantly over the years. The Principal of the UV highlighted the importance of this campus, emphasising that ‘the very evolution of our society, of the way we live and coexist, has driven us evolve as well, incorporating new technologies into the buildings, changing the very architectural conceptions of spaces’.

The campus landscaping, which will begin in August, particularly stands out, not only because it represents an improvement to the urban landscape of the campus, but also because it represents the participatory governance of the Universitat de València. ‘For the first time in the history of Spanish universities, the university community has decided how they want their future campus to look’, the Prinicpal said, emphasising that this has been a project ‘open to participation’.

Among the recent and future infrastructures projects are the creation of new teaching spaces, such as the West Classroom Building 2, and the remodelling of Studio 1 of the Audiovisual Workshop. Refurbishment of the façades of the buildings, improvements to accessibility and waterproofing of surfaces will also be carried out. The total investment in these works is around 46 million euros, financed through the UV’s own funds.

Burjassot-Paterna Campus

The Burjassot-Paterna Campus, nearing half a century since its inauguration, will also be subject to significant improvements with a 95.5 million dollar investment through 2026. Projects include the construction of new buildings, the remodelling of laboratories and classrooms, as well as improvements to the electrical, landscaping, heating and cooling, lighting, paving and accessibility infrastructures. The Principal stressed the urgency and necessity of this investment, ‘This programme is essential to the quality of teaching, research and, above all, comfort and quality of life of the university community. People must be the focus of university policy’.

This project also includes the inauguration of the new UV Innovation Centre in the Science Park with an investment of 14.5 million euros, jointly funded by the Valencian Government through the Department of Innovation, Universities and Sociency and Society and the ERDF. This centre will foster knowledge transfer and promote entrepreneurship and innovation.

Transparency and joint effort

The Infrastructures UV project is a joint effort that demonstrates the UV’s commitment to the continuous improvement of its facilities and services, its adaptation to the evolving needs of its university community and its guarantee of a more comfortable and efficient future for all its members.

The communications department of the Universitat de València, UVCommunications, has launched a webpage to keep the university community up to date on the progress and evolution of the various projects. ‘The Infrastructures UV website is an example of the transparency and participation that characterises the UV’s management’, says the Head of the Principal’s Bureau and Head of Institutional Marketing and Communications, Joan Enric Úbeda.

The UV Web and Marketing Unit has designed a virtual 3D tour of the different UV campuses. Head of the Web and Marketing Unit, Josep Gonzalbo, says that this is ‘an innovative augmented reality project that will offer an immersive multimodal and interactive experience to users’. There will also be interactive screens installed in the UV centres that will allow the university community to experience this virtual tour.

With this project, the Universitat de València reaffirms its commitment to the continuous improvement of its infrastructures in order to create a quality academic environment for its students and teaching staff.