New A Coruña University Hospital Complex (CHUAC)

The new A Coruña University Hospital Complex (CHUAC) is not only an extension of the existing one, but this transformation will give rise to a single new building. New public and private transport circulation systems are reinforced and created, as well as routes for pedestrians and cyclists.

The building opens to the sea and to the nature of Galicia from a biophilic design that visually connects the surrounding landscape to the building and integrates the direct presence of this nature inside; natural light, moreover, becomes the backbone of the design: skylights are created and the facades are resolved with large glazed curtain wall panels to guarantee the entry of light. Inside, double and triple height spaces are designed to generate suggestive visuals both on the outside and on the interior spaces themselves.

The centre is extended to the south and west with a new teaching and research building. The key point of this intervention is the creation of a large access plaza that connects the different hospital functions and that will become a climate and health garden. The project is organized in blocks, parallel to the slope, changing in height, thus fragmenting the total volumetric configuration of the building, so that it adapts and responds to the environment.

To achieve an nZEB consumption building, the implementation of a geothermal system is proposed, the implementation of a photovoltaic system capable of self-supplying the centre itself, the optimization of the building’s facilities and their comprehensive management, and improvements in the passive behaviour of the building itself. In addition, it is proposed to reduce the impact of materials by using more than 10% of the material cost obtained from sustainable resources and less than 70% of the cost of materials from less than 200km.