University City of Caracas

The University City of Caracas is the main campus of the Central University of Venezuela. It was designed by Carlos Raúl Villanueva and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. It is considered a masterpiece of architecture and urban planning and is the only university campus designed by a single architect in the 20th century that has received such recognition by UNESCO. The campus buildings are considered to be Villanueva's masterwork. Built on the site of the old Hacienda Ibarra and connected to the new city centre around Plaza Venezuela, the project required a massive undertaking of both urban planning and architectural design. The vast urban complex of about 2 km² included a total of 40 buildings and it became one of the most successful applications of Modern Architecture in Latin America. Villanueva worked closely with all the artists who contributed their works and personally supervised the project for over 25 years.