The project, designed by Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes and PINEARQ, was designed to be flexible and easy to evolve. The new volumes are integrated into the Mar Campus, adopting a U-shaped configuration to accommodate the Barcelona Park and parallel the seaside path, which reduces their visual impact.
The organization maximizes natural light, improves circulation and orientation of occupants, thanks to interior patios, dwellings with exterior views, optimised clinical settings, solar protection and a large terrace garden with panoramic views to the sea.
The installation requirements are obligatory to replace, during the operation, the conventional construction of hormigón installed in situ by a prefabricated system, allowing the construction process to be accelerated and compatible with the hospital activity. The intervention also incorporated sustainability criteria using local materials and certified wood, green spaces, rainwater recovery systems and passive solar protection solutions. The result was that the hospital staff was completed, its relationship with the public space improved, and its technological capacity and assistance were provided.
Refurbishment and Extension of Hospital Del Mar by Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes and PINEARQ. Photograph by Simón García.
Project description by Brullet-De Luna Arquitectes, PINEARQ
Hospital del Mar occupies the southern end of the Campus Mar, bounded by the seafront promenade, the Ronda Litoral highway, the railway tracks, and the Barceloneta neighbourhood. The project's challenges stem from a complex site with a single point of access, a water table at a depth of eight meters, and a hospital that remained fully operational throughout construction. In addition, a delivery deadline shortened by six months—following the project's selection for Next Generation EU funds—forced a complete redesign of the structural system midway through the project, replacing the conventional in-situ concrete structure with a prefabricated solution. The client required a facility that could respond to future health crises, resulting in a flexible, evolving building capable of adapting to social changes and medical advancements.
The proposal by Pinearq and Brullet de Luna i Associats is structured around a set of principles—domesticity, spatial generosity, natural light, and orientation—applied from the urban scale down to the individual room. The two new volumes follow the alignment of the existing Campus Mar buildings, parallel to the coastline. The hospitalization building takes the shape of a U opening toward Barceloneta Park, shifting the built mass toward the interior of the block and freeing up the seafront—thereby reducing the visual impact on the park and the promenade while establishing a clear architectural identity for the expanded complex.
Interior courtyards bring natural light into the intermediate floors and the basements housing emergency services, diagnostic imaging, and the pharmacy. The six hospitalization units are organized into two three-story wings, with nursing stations centralized at the midpoint of each unit and the patient rooms distributed around them—a layout that optimizes clinical flow while ensuring that every room has natural light and direct views of the outdoors.
The facade features aluminum brise-soleils separated from the building envelope—horizontal or vertical depending on the orientation—which create a thermal buffer, reduce solar heat gain and cooling demand, and double as maintenance pathways. The third floor is designed as a 2,700 m² landscaped terrace, conceived simultaneously as a therapeutic garden, an environmental layer, and a relief valve for density of use. These green roofs capture 2,169 tons of CO₂ annually, mitigate the heat island effect, and harvest rainwater for reuse within the building. Material specifications prioritize locally sourced products and certified timber.
The expansion of Hospital del Mar completes its city block, generates public space at street level, and maintains the visual permeability of the waterfront, while offering one of the most technologically advanced hospital facilities in Southern Europe.
