The Capdella Cardboard Hospital, from a squalid sanitary chamber to a historic monument

Capdella TowerIt all began nearly ten years ago when architect Sígrid Remacha was pursuing a master's degree in restoration and renovation in the Basque Country and decided to undertake a project on the offices of the old Capdella hydroelectric power plant (in Vall Fosca). They were small wooden houses that, over time, also became accommodation for the area's workers.

During her initial meetings with Eva Perisé, the director of the Hydroelectric Museum, the young architect heard that the plant also housed a small hospital in a rather deteriorated state. Very few people, not even those responsible for the museum, knew much about this building, which was made almost entirely of cardboard. Constructions of this type were nothing new at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in Europe, most of them designed to temporarily deal with waves of migration or to care for victims of the wars of the time. What is truly strange is that the hospital at that hydroelectric power plant in the middle of the Pyrenees withstood the vicissitudes of history and the elements and still stands today (albeit in a very deteriorated state).

"I mentioned this fact to my advisor, and we completely redirected the work," Remacha recalls. From then on, the hospital became the focus of his research. The key that finally turned the lock was the discovery of a plaque from the German company Christoph & Unmack, a leading 20th-century manufacturer of prefabricated buildings, confirming it as the hospital's supplier. That news unleashed everything. A slow process that culminated in the formation of a large multidisciplinary team of specialists made up of, among others, Marta Freixa, Cari de la Peña, Anna Pastor, Mercè Gual, Violant Bonet, Josep Bunyesc, and Sígrid Remacha, who have turned this building into a target for recovery and museumization.

After the initial consolidation work that has been carried out recently to prevent the total deterioration of the old hospital, the Museum is now finalizing a comprehensive report that will allow a definitive estimate of the cost of its complete restoration, which should be completed in 2026. The public funds used are still unknown; everything will depend on the final figure, but the firm commitment is to begin work next year.

The restoration will first consist of repairing the cardboard sections that are in better condition and, subsequently, incorporating new material in the most deteriorated areas. Restorers, conservators, and architects are working together to prepare this report, which will ultimately allow the hospital to be incorporated as a visitable element into the Museum complex. Currently, the hospital is closed to the public and so hidden that it cannot even be observed from a distance.

A participatory future

The Capdella Hydroelectric Museum commissioned a management plan from UNESCO advisor Joan Reguant to understand the best way to organize its entire heritage, including the hospital. But, at the same time, a few years ago the organization decided to promote a participatory process (still ongoing) among all the residents and organizations of Vall Fosca to reach a consensus on the future of the old hospital. Through multiple annual information sessions, local residents have been able to understand the historical and architectural significance of the building and better assess its best future. "The use will vary somewhat depending on people's needs, but basically, everything seems to point in two directions," explains Eva Perisé. The first is that it should obviously be a visitable space, where some activity can be carried out, such as an exhibition. And the second would be to turn the hospital into a kind of sculpture, a unique monument in the world, where tours are offered and topics related to architecture, healthcare, and, of course, history are discussed.

Through the rhythm set by a core group of a handful of residents, the participatory process has involved hundreds of people.

Ups and downs of history

In 1911, two large companies were founded in Catalonia: Riegos y Fuerzas del Ebro (better known as La Canadiense) and Energía Eléctrica de Cataluña (EEC). The latter, despite being foreign-owned, originated with Emili Riu i Periquet, a resident of Sort and a member of Parliament for the Liberal Party in the Sort-Vielha constituency. He was a staunch advocate of the modernization of his region, which at the time was immersed in a severe economic crisis and in a situation of great isolation. On one of his trips through the Vall Fosca, Emili Riu recognized the great potential this area had for generating electricity thanks to its uneven ground. At the end of 1911, work began on the Capdella Power Plant. The construction of the complex was completed in record time, 23 months, thanks to the labor of 4,000 workers from all over Spain.

Their competition with La Canadiense required the plant to be built as quickly as possible, so they resorted to construction measures that would allow for this. Most of the plant's buildings, such as the school, the accommodations, and the hotel, were mostly made with prefabricated materials that arrived in the colony ready to be installed.

And among these constructions is the cardboard hospital built by Christoph & Unmack. This German company was the most important in Europe in this type of prefabricated buildings at the beginning of the 20th century. These were times when transportable buildings were sought, easy and economical to build, as a solution for wartime, such as barracks and military hospitals, but also for peacetime, with the construction of schools and homes.

The Christoph & Unmack building was built as a hospital in the early years of construction of the Capdella Plant, and corresponds to an economical model, easy to install, and highly durable. It consists of a five-centimeter-thick wooden framework, with prefabricated cardboard panels one meter and two centimeters thick acting as walls. These panels are weather-resistant thanks to a specific treatment with paints and varnishes. The roof is made of the same materials, wood and cardboard, covered with fiber cement tiles. Skylights are distributed along the roof to provide light and generate ventilation. The hospital consists of two distinct wings. One was used for the care and treatment of patients, while the other was intended for minor interventions and general surgery. The two wings are separated by the kitchen and toilets.

Some evidence indicates that by 1913 the hospital must have been built and operational, covering the medical needs that might arise during construction work or in the daily life of the colony. For serious health cases or surgical interventions, patients were transferred to larger hospitals, such as the one in La Pobla de Segur.

Abandonment and degradation

The hospital was fully operational for at least ten years. The doctor and nurses were hired directly by the hydroelectric company. With the improvement of communications in the mid-1920s, medical care was less needed at the plant, and patients could be transported more easily. During the Civil War, and especially afterward with the presence of the Maquis in the Pyrenees, the hospital became a Civil Guard barracks, where the military lived. In the 1980s, it was even a dining room for the Fecsa company, which took over the work for the Reversible de Sallente plant. Later, it fell into disuse and until 2018 was used by local residents as a storage facility for unclean toilets.

This misuse has led to some architectural modifications, but it has also very possibly been the reason why it has remained standing for more than a century. "It's surprising how a prefabricated building, constructed only with a wooden frame and cardboard panels, has been able to withstand the harsh weather conditions typical of a high mountain climate, combined with the neglect and deterioration that comes with the passing of time," argues Sígrid Remacha.

The building is, in any case, a unique element in Europe, with historical significance not only for its significance in the construction of the Capdella Power Plant, but also for the history associated with the construction company. Documents from renowned experts on the subject are already available, confirming that it is the only building made from the company's prefabricated cardboard panels that is still preserved, which is why it has become an icon of prefabricated industrial architecture.