ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
SANT PAU HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Photos : Aldo _ Amoretti
A HIGH-EFFICIENCY FAÇADE WITH MATERIALS BY FAVEKER
The Research Institute building , designed by Pich Aguilera Arquitectes in conjunction with 2BMFG Arquitectos , stands in Santa Creu & Sant Pau Hospital complex in Barcelona – one of the biggest Modernist Spanish architectural ensembles , declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO .
The Research Institute stands out for its striking ceramic envelope and its capacity to blend in with Sant Pau Hospital ’ s Modernist buildings , while also guaranteeing high energy savings and improved comfort inside the building . The ceramic slats were made to measure for the project by Faveker , a specialist in high-tech façade solutions .
THE FAÇADE ACTS AS A HIGH-TECH LATTICEWORK CERAMIC SKIN
The façade acts as a high-tech latticework ceramic skin . It has been designed to echo the colours of the Modernist hospital ’ s historic buildings , changing in appearance throughout the day , both inside and outside the building .
The façade is based on an existing adhesive-free prefabricated system of flexible slats , with braided steel mesh to hold the slats by Faveker in place .
The project ’ s made-to-measure slats were extrusion manufactured . In total , some 45,000 slats were used , with a width of 42 cm and height of 10 cm to fit into the gaps in the mesh .
The different models were specially produced by Faveker to coincide with the dimensions of the building and , above all , to ensure maximum energy efficiency and to blend in with the textures of the surrounding Modernist buildings .
The ceramic system and the design of the slats give the whole building a sense of movement and a texture reminiscent of fish scales , in addition to guaranteeing substantial energy savings inside the building . The façade has a changing rhythm depending on the incidence of the sun and its reflective capacity .
The ceramic façade filters the natural light that enters the building , while also providing greater privacy for researchers . At the same time , its interiors are lit up by the latticework ’ s colours .
The rear of the slats has been glazed in the colours of the surrounding Modernist domes .
The ceramic slats have a fold that juts out and protects the building from the sun . The slats on its south-facing façades have a horizontal fold , while the ones on the façades less exposed to the sun have a lateral fold . Thanks to these folds , from some angles , the polychrome mosaic that is visible inside the building can also be partly glimpsed from the outside .
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