The FEM Building is located within the San Joaquín campus for the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC) – a prestigious institution started in the late 19th century. The campus is situated within Macul, a commune in the Santiago metropolitan region.

Designed by local architect Alberto Moletto, the building houses the School of Secondary Education, where students are trained to be teachers. It sits adjacent to the Faculty of Education building, helping form a dedicated space for the university's education studies programme.

The architect set out to create a building that would sit quietly within the dense campus, where a range of architectural styles are on display. The main idea was to employ a "repetition of elements that can operate in the place silently and try to go unnoticed for those who walk through the campus", the architect stated in a project description.