Work
Project
Manresa Primary Healthcare Center
- Location: Manresa, Barcelona, Spain
- Typology: Hospitals
- Completion: 2008
- Surface built: 1,720 m2
Coauthors
Mario Corea
Lluís Moran
Diego Nakamatsu
Job Captain
María Soledad Díaz
Marcelo Ranzini
Collaborators
Maricel Aguilera
Gonzalo García Camacho
Structure
Bis Arquitectes S.L.
Installations
Imetco
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The topography of the site for this primary healthcare center had been modified previously for the construction of the railroad tracks, which were no longer in use. This meant that the original terrain of the site lied beneath the existing public space and created an urban barrier, which was a major factor in terms of the conceptual approach to the design.
In response, one of the objectives that emerged was to allow the new center to reconstruct the surrounding area and therefore, the decision was made to situate the building at street level so that it could take on the role of establishing a new urban facade. In addition, the position of the proposed volumes and the design of the entrance allowed for the creation of an access area in the form of a new plaza that was linked to the existing public space.
All the services of the center are located on the single ground floor of the building and as people arrive to the entrance plaza, the transparent glass facade reveals the circulation core and the waiting rooms of the treatment areas on the interior. In this sense, the healthcare center assumes its urban role as a landmark in the neighborhood: during the day it is perceived as an active and energetic part of its environment and at night the building appears as a huge illuminated ‘lantern’ in the city’s landscape.