Peruvian studio 51-1 Arquitectos has completed an academic building in Lima that is meant to serve as a "gastronomic machine" for training culinary and hospitality students.

The Gastronomy & Hospitality School is located on the campus of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, a private institution that was started in 1917. The university sits within the city's San Miguel district.
The school provides training for students aspiring to be chefs, bakers, restaurant owners and hotel operators, among with other jobs associated with the food and hospitality industries. In recent years, Peru has become a "foodie paradise", and the new school is meant to support the country's burgeoning culinary scene.

Local firm 51-1 Arquitectos was charged with creating an educational building that would house a range of spaces, including kitchens, food storage rooms, and a diner. The building, which sits next to a palm tree orchard, is designed to have a limited footprint while still accommodating an extensive programme. "We wanted to make the building as compact as possible, taking up the least amount of land, but also concentrating the programme for maximum interaction between students," the studio said in a project description.

Rectangular in plan, the 2,280-square-metre building rises three storeys and also contains a basement level. The exterior is wrapped in a grid of load-bearing columns and beams made of steel. The area's mild climate allowed fo...