A Parda Health Centre by Vier Arquitectos

The new Health Centre is located in A Parda, a recent urban sprawl area on the outskirts of the city of Pontevedra, where the recent expansion of the urban structure is still coexisting with rural areas. The building emerges in a large lot surrounded by different kind of buildings like the new Music School, apartment blocks and some other facilities still to be defined.

In this context, we wanted to design a box, a neutral piece with underlined edges and a solid appearance, as a counterpoint to the figurative routine of the residential buildings. It was an opportunity to add a dose of quietness into the new confused urban landscape. The strategy to get this objective was to use three materials in the composition of the exterior skin (concrete, perforated aluminum sheets and glass), showing three different levels of opacity. This shape and the combination of these materials allow the identification of this complex system as a unit (the building has two independent sectors: the Medical Centre and the Emergency Services (PAC).

The functional scheme is solved by distributing the doctor’s offices and functional spaces throughout the perimeter whilst the common and waiting areas are placed next the inner courtyards, with several visual outbursts towards the street at the ends of corridors. Walks take place around the courtyards providing stairways in their front ends, in addition to a lift.

The configuration of the building adapts to the slope of the street and it is disposed into three levels, entering by the intermediate one. On this floor (ground floor) there are two separate access points, one for the Medical Centre and another one for the PAC. The health care, pediatrics, rehabilitation, registry, archives and administration areas are located in this level. On the first floor it lies the remaining health services and a large terrace that allows a future expansion of the facility. At the inferior level there are some other offices for different medical specialties, as well as dental care and health education.

Architects: Vier Arquitectos SLP – Antonio Raya, Cristóbal Crespo, Santiago Sánchez, Enrique Antelo
Location: Pontevedra, Spain
Client: Xunta de Galicia (Regional Government)
Project area: 3,981 sqm
Project year: 2005 – 2009
Photographs: Héctor Fernández Santos-Díez


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