This will be the expansion of the National Library of Catalonia

BarcelonaThe team formed by BAAS architecture and h3o architects has won the competition convened by BIMSA for the rehabilitation of the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu de Barcelona complex. The project includes the rehabilitation and expansion of the spaces of the Biblioteca de Catalunya and the future District Library, as well as the rehabilitation of the theater, the chapel, the Icub offices, and various common spaces. The approximate budget for the work is 29.6 million euros.

The project's motto is "From the Ramblas to Santa Creu,", a nod to the project "From the Liceu to the Seminary" by Lluís Clotet, Òscar Tusquets Blanca, and Francesc Bassó. In the case of the Biblioteca de Catalunya spaces, Jordi Badia (BAAS) and his colleagues Adrià Orriols, Joan Gener, and Miquel Ruiz (h3o) propose the rehabilitation of the complex as "an opportunity to recover its role within the Raval". "The project aims to transform a currently closed and difficult-to-cross area into a more accessible, permeable heritage, cultural, and urban space linked to the daily routes of the neighborhood", said the architects in a statement released this morning.

One of the main operations of the project is the creation of a new transversal route that will connect Plaça de la Gardunya with Carrer de les Egipcíaques, passing through the courtyards and interior spaces of the old hospital. This new connection will allow "integrating the complex within the network of public spaces of the Raval, facilitating access to the different facilities and recovering its courtyards and gardens as open and shared spaces", they affirm. Furthermore, the architects propose a new access facade to Plaça de la Gardunya by means of "a portico of pilasters attached to the existing building". With this gesture, they want to tidy up the different volumes that make up the facade and open a new entrance to the complex. Thus, the portico is conceived as "an extension of the public space" of Plaça de la Gardunya. "The intervention combines respect for the traces of the historic building with new openings that make the facade more accessible and permeable", say the architects.

Slits of light

One of the distinctive features of the project is that the architects take advantage of the contact spaces between the different buildings in the complex, from different eras, to open up spaces that allow for the entry of light and natural ventilation. Furthermore, these "gaps" will also include the stairs and elevators of the different facilities. Thus, the access to the District Library will be located in Plaça de la Gardunya and will be like "a large public hall that gives continuity to the route up to the historic garden of the Old Hospital de la Santa Creu". This space will be illuminated by a new skylight that at night will turn the building into a landmark.

The transformation project of the Old Hospital de la Santa Creu has a budget of 29.6 million euros. Currently, the rehabilitation of the main facade and the cloister of the Old Hospital de la Santa Creu is being carried out on the premises.