Location: Camino del Tanatorio, 08916, Badalona
Architects:
COMA Arquitectura,
Calderon-Folch Studio,
Mario Nahra,
Sarsanedas Arquitectura
Year:
2018
Surface Area:
5045 m²
Photography:
José Hevia
The Redevelopment of the Comparative Medicine and Bioimaging Centre
The new Comparative Medicine and Bioimaging Centre is a building whose technical and functional complexity, along with its comfort features, have been resolved in an efficient, sustainable, and environment-sensitive manner. The CMCiB is located within the Can Ruti Campus, which has the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital as its main benchmark.
The building focuses on energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and landscape integration. A compact volume with a biospheric timber facade, surrounded by naturalized outdoor spaces, houses a complex functional program.
Comparative Medicine and Bioimaging Centre – Photography: José Hevia
Integration with the Environment
Integration with the environment is addressed through the positioning of the volume within the topography, the definition of an organic geometry, and its materiality. The building is located on a plot with a steep slope bordering the forest area at the highest point of the university campus. This difference in elevation is utilized to create a topographic building that articulates the internal program while generating the minimum apparent volume.
Thus, the research floors, which require stable climatic conditions, remain semi-buried, hidden, and sheltered under a series of green roofs tied to the site.
Bioconstruction
With the purpose of minimizing CO2 emissions during the building’s construction, the choice was made to use materials with a low ecological footprint. The envelope was constructed using a modular system of timber-framed light structures, blown-in cellulose, exploded wood external insulation, and untreated larch cladding. Prefabrication was chosen – also for the load-bearing structure – to guarantee higher quality, ensure the minimum possible use of material, and maximize the speed of the construction process.
Comparative Medicine and Bioimaging Centre – Photography: José Hevia
The apparent volume, compact and with rounded edges, seeks a relationship with the surroundings through a curvilinear concavity that embraces the access plaza and a biospheric timber envelope that engages with the natural setting of the Parc de la Serralada de Marina.
Paving colors: corten, mediterráneo, marfil and ceniza. – Photography: José Hevia
Materials used for the urban planning of the outdoor area:
Terana six Paver 20x10x6 cm
The Terana Six paver is the perfect combination of a classic rectangular paver with a contemporary finish of high decorative quality. It is ideal for building driveways, walkways, and courtyards where traffic loads are minor.
The combination of soft colors that blend with the facade of the main building provides a sense of calm and relaxation.
Urban furniture: Pause Benches in Arena Color – Photography: José Hevia
Urban furniture: Pause bench 262.5x45x60 cm
A bench with simple lines and a light appearance that transforms it into a meeting point. A large slab resting on light metal supports that invites people to pause. A highly functional piece with a smooth finish, soft to the touch, achieving a distinctive matte sheen. A weather-resistant bench available in a wide variety of colors that integrate into the landscape.
References:
- https://www.lavanguardia.com/ciencia/ciencia-cultura/20190130/4691802994/can-ruti-centro-bioimagen-fundacion-la-caixa.html
- https://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/cl/940363/centro-de-medicina-comparativa-y-bioimagen-calderon-folch-studio
- https://www.cfs.cat/?portfolio=centre-for-comparative-medicine-and-bioimage
- https://www.arquima.net/portfolio_page/can-ruti-pdte/
