The recently inaugurated Subacute Hospital in Mollet del Vallès is an example of how a hospital constructed in the 1950s, which had fallen into disuse, can be successfully recycled to meet the current and future challenges emerging in healthcare. The renovation project was based on simple and effective interventions that were practical as well as functional, resulting in a low-cost, energy-efficient hospital that re-assumes an active role in the day-to-day life of the city. The story began in 2004, when a competition was held for a large-scale regional hospital that would serve the inhabitants of the city of Mollet and surrounding communities. While the winning scheme for the new facility was going to be built on the outskirts of the city, a decision had to be made about what to do with the original hospital in the city center. Not so long ago, the fate of such a building would most likely have been demolition to make way for new construction. However, as the economic crisis intensified, it became clear that the most feasible solution was to refurbish the existing hospital to accommodate a center for patients requiring rehabilitation or skilled medical care for a limited period. The approach for ...
The recently inaugurated Subacute Hospital in Mollet del Vallès is an example of how a hospital constructed in the 1950s, which had fallen into disuse, can be successfully recycled to meet the current and future challenges emerging in healthcare. The renovation project was based on simple and effective interventions that were practical as well as functional, resulting in a low-cost, energy-efficient hospital that re-assumes an active role in the day-to-day life of the city. The story began in 2004, when a competition was held for a large-scale regional hospital that would serve the inhabitants of the city of Mollet and surrounding communities. While the winning scheme for the new facility was going to be built on the outskirts of the city, a decision had to be made about what to do with the original hospital in the city center. Not so long ago, the fate of such a building would most likely have been demolition to make way for new construction. However, as the economic crisis intensified, it became clear that the most feasible solution was to refurbish the existing hospital to accommodate a center for patients requiring rehabilitation or skilled medical care for a limited period. The approach for ...