This paper describes and analyses the perceptions of students of the School of Engineering of Los Andes University (Colombia)regarding the new Mario Laserna (ML) building where an infrastructure of laboratories, halls and spaces has been developed withthe purpose of promoting collaborative learning and research practices. The design of this new infrastructure for education inengineering is based on the study of some international examples (which will be succinctly presented) and also on the considerationof the role of space and equipment in teaching and learning practices and upon the desired structure of a modern engineeringcurriculum. The results presented were obtained through the analysis of a survey of the cohort of students who took courses in theold building (W), built in 1968, as well as in the ML building. The survey especially focused on how the new spaces affected theways the students work and interact with their peers. In the concluding section, certain hypotheses derived from the results arepresented with the intention of promoting further studies.