The project encompasses the comprehensive renovation of the Emergency Department and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) on the third floor of the Doctor Josep Trueta Hospital. The intervention adapts the infrastructure to the contemporary needs of the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units (NICU/PICU), reconfiguring the physical environment to seamlessly accommodate families within the ICU and focusing clinical care on infant development.
Layout & Organization// The pre-existing perimeter visitor corridor is eliminated to optimize the floor plan, allowing the expansion of the PICU with three new patient bays, alongside Bays A and B within the NICU. The new layout integrates an isolation bay into the PICU as well as two independent isolation rooms: a larger one engineered for infants requiring preventive infectious disease isolation, and a smaller one dedicated to compassionate care and family accompaniment.
Uniqueness & Character// The design continuously seeks to elevate spatial quality to enhance the environment for both short- and long-term stays of patients, families, and healthcare staff. Daylight intake and visual transparency are carefully managed throughout the floor plate, while a curated color palette is applied to vertical surfaces to create a more soothing and welcoming atmosphere. This strategic design approach actively preserves the circadian rhythm of both the newborns and the medical team.
Sustainability Criteria// Sustainability is a non-negotiable requirement in contemporary architecture, and this project places it at the core of the intervention. Energy optimization was achieved primarily through the complete replacement of the exterior joinery, while building waste was drastically reduced by minimizing demolition and strategically repurposing existing internal partition walls. The construction phase relied on high-performance dry construction systems, which significantly lower embodied energy. The entire architectural system is mechanized and prefabricated, minimizing on-site handling and raw material manipulation. This approach successfully improves both thermal and acoustic insulation across the department, while the extensive use of glazed interior partitions allows natural daylight to penetrate deep into inner clinical spaces.
