A hospital complex surrounded by trees and an interior promenade: the first images of the future Trueta

GironaAfter years of back-and-forth negotiations and a host of uncertainties, the first images of what is to be the future Girona Health Campus were unveiled this Monday. This hospital complex will replace the current Josep Trueta Hospital and, according to institutional forecasts, should have its foundation stone laid by the end of 2028 and be completed by the end of 2031. The winning consortium in the design competition organized by Infraestructures.cat is the same one behind the Quironsalud Barcelona Hospital, the Doctor Moisès Hospital, and the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, among other projects. This consortium, Pinearq, SLP & Brullet de Luna y Asociados and SLP & PEGI Engineering, SL., has designed a large hospital complex surrounded by trees, with green terraces and a large, car-free interior promenade. Named Devesa de Salut 21, it has received the highest score for the creation of a large amenity area with landscaped plazas connecting it to the city, and a commitment to renewable energy and bioclimatic architecture.

The decision was announced this Monday during the meeting of the Joint Monitoring Committee of the Girona Health Region's Health Campus, which was attended by four councilors from the five government departments committed to the project: Presidency, Territory, Health, Research and Universities, and the Secretary General of Economy, as well as the mayors of Girona and Salt, and the president of the Provincial Council. "This is almost a summit against skepticism and pessimism, because the new Health Campus is progressing, and at a good pace," said the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau.

The plan is not only to build a new hospital, essential for the Girona region, since the current Trueta hospital has become too small after 70 years, but also a large hub a healthcare system that combines hospital care with research, innovation, and business development. All of this with the shared intention that the project of The future Clinic should not be built in front of the Trueta. And Girona is once again experiencing the situation of 15 years ago, when a model for expanding the current hospital was presented, only to be swept away by the economic crisis and institutional disagreements. "Neither the difficulties we have encountered nor discouragement have prevented us from being here," said the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque.

Bioclimatic architecture

Unlike the current Trueta Hospital, inaugurated during the Franco regime on the northern edge of Girona, the new hospital complex is located on the other side of the city, mostly on land belonging to Salt, and at the southern exit of the AP-7 motorway. While 70 years ago a high-rise, ten-story block was the solution, this project draws inspiration from the greenery of the neighboring complex, the Martí i Julià Hospital Park—better known as Santa Caterina—and low-rise construction. Although the patient rooms will reach six or seven stories—in the case of the helipad—those arriving at the complex will always find a maximum of three stories above ground, with terraces and very open spaces. "The jury highly valued the building's volumetric integration because, from the outset, it is low, like a three-story plinth with a human staircase in the foreground, which sets off the taller, uninterrupted buildings in the background," explained Frederic Cabré, architect and member of the competition jury.

According to the project, which the joint venture will now have two years to develop and finalize in detail—once the €25.37 million architectural contract is signed—the entire area will be organized around a large interior promenade. This will serve as the main circulation axis, organizing access to different areas, with exterior plazas running from end to end."We are talking about a city of health, with a human-scale project," emphasized the mayor of Girona, Lluc Salellas. "A city within a city, with green spaces, services, and a new central hub within the city of Girona." The promenade will connect the different, hierarchically organized access points to the city center through landscaped areas comprised of meadows, cool spaces with Mediterranean plantings, suitable for the planned water management. The fact is, as the Catalan Government explained, the winning proposal takes into careful consideration environmental criteria, the connection with nature, and sustainable construction. It proposes bioclimatic courtyards, a facade design adapted to the orientation of each building, rainwater management, reduction of the heat island effect, and the use of healthy materials.

Connection with the urban fabric

In terms of energy, the new Girona Health Campus aims to become a zero-emissions complex and is committed to renewable energies such as geothermal energy and the extensive installation of photovoltaic panels on roofs and pergolas. Regarding its integration with the surrounding area, the goal is not for it to be a separate complex but rather to have continuity with the Santa Caterina Hospital via a platform over the access road for cars, as well as a connection with the urban fabric of Girona. These are vital details for understanding how the area will develop both in terms of urban planning and mobility. The project does not address the future of the C-65, the road that connects the Girona South exit of the AP-7 motorway with Cassà de la Selva and Sant Feliu de Guíxols, and which already experiences significant traffic congestion.

The creation of a 175,000 m2 plot of land, with a buildable area of ​​320,000 m2, will completely transform the city center. Both Girona and Salt expect it to be a complex that attracts significant talent and revitalizes the surrounding neighborhoods.