Renovation of the CAS Drug Addiction Care Centre, Barcelona
AIA’s links with this building dates back to 1996, at which time it was occupied by the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia, who contracted us to carry out an analysis and make a proposal for the building’s renovation, in order to adapt it to the new regulations with regard to such basic aspects as accessibility and fire-fighting protection. Some time later work began on the interior refurbishment and the renovation of the façade, coming to an end in 2006. In 2007 the Department of Health took the decision to maintain the Drug Addiction Care and Monitoring Centre in the semi-basement level and to hand over the rest of the building to the Sindic de Greuges (the Catalan equivalent of the Ombudsman) and, as a result, they again contracted AIA to refurbish the interior in this area of approximately 550 m2.
Access to the Centre, which is independent to that of the rest of the building, is by means of two entrances located on the street Calle del Davant del Portal Nou. The existing laboratory layout was maintained and extended through a large multi-purpose space that can be divided by the use of a moveable partition wall, with a number of offices for the provision of psychological and medical treatment and a small cafeteria.
One of the most complicated aspects was the treatment of natural light, given that this is a semi-basement and in view of the number of compartments required in order to deal with the needs program, which could easily have resulted in the space becoming opaque and obscure. In order to avoid this sensation the cladding and room dividers used were colourful, brilliant and translucent, allowing for an accentuation of the sensation of spaciousness by allowing natural light to flood into every corner.
The result is a space that is luminous, bright and, above all, full of life, and in which the main protagonist is colour. The materials used have ensured the distribution of light by means of glass elements, such as the multi-purpose room with its U/Glass panels or the offices with their tilted glass panels. Evidently all of the materials respond to the usage needs demanded by a space through which many people pass, such as durability, resistance and low maintenance levels.
