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 be completed by 2031. The winning consortium in the design competition organized by Infraestructures.cat is the same one that successfully completed the Hospital del Mar, the Bellvitge Hospital expansion, the Quirón Biomédica Hospital in Barcelona, ​​and 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 spacious, 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.

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 50 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 will relive the situation of 15 years ago, when a model was presented to expand the current hospital, which the economic crisis and institutional disagreements ended up sweeping away.

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 50 years ago a 10-story high-rise 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. It will primarily consist of two-story pavilions with a ground floor and two upper floors, finished with green terraces where patients can stroll. The design is not intended to stand out from the surrounding buildings, except in certain areas, creating a play of volumes surrounded by gardens and pedestrian-friendly spaces. According to the project, which the joint venture will now have two years to develop and finalize in detail—once the €25.37 million contract is signed—the entire area will be organized around a large interior promenade. It will act as the main circulation axis, organizing access to different areas, with exterior plazas from end to end.

The promenade will connect the various hierarchical access points to the center through landscaped areas comprised of meadows, cool spaces with Mediterranean plantings, suitable for the planned water management. The fact is, as the Government has 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.