AHEAD Barcelona Healthcare Architecture

Ophthalmology Surgical Area:The new Ophthalmology surgical area occupies an area of 900 sm and has four operating rooms with the most innovative technology that will allow different types of operations to be carried out.

The space is structured by the central clean corridor, where you can access the operating rooms and patient areas, as well as the necessary support areas in a surgical block. The project seeks the well-being of patients and caregivers, opening the spaces to natural light and views to the outside. Materials such as wood, natural colors, and therapeutic photographs create a comfortable atmosphere, with spacious and bright spaces that support calm and concentration at work.

This project has been based on concepts of neuroarchitecture to find the best spaces for users, while all the circulations have been studied to optimize the spaces. Thanks to the multidisciplinary team that has worked on it, a very important project for the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona has become a reality.

·Mother-baby Day care center and Outpatient area for Perinatal Mental Health: The Perinatal Mental Health care center and outpatient consultations of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona is a new space for women who have just become mothers and have a mental health pathology. This model is unique since the mother accesses it with her baby, promoting its recovery through basic tasks together, and thus recovering its daily functionality. Due to the stigma attached to mental health illnesses, the environment doesn’t have to look like a hospital, so the mothers feel like they are at home. The secure environment makes recovery easy. For this, a diaphanous central space has been conceived, like a living room in a house, with a series of corners around it. This large room has adequate furniture to be able to breastfeed, sit down, be able to play, moving away from strictly hospital furniture. The shapes are clear, with neutral and calm colors, with breadth and height, and without many objects that lead to confusion. But without reaching aseptic spaces without any type of stimulation, since this can lead to apathy and lack of stimulation. Another fundamental point of the space is the natural light and the general height. The large windows with views of the sky allow the connection with the outside world, with a great entrance of natural light that helps the temporal orientation and the monitoring of the circadian rhythm of the patients, as well as the babies. This, together with the height of the spaces, creates an atmosphere of spaciousness and tranquility that enhances the positive emotional state of all people. The challenge is to reach a balance where mothers, together with their babies, feel safe, stimulated, and eager to recover.

·Interventional Radiology Reform: The architectural project for the reform of interventional radiology focuses on creating a functional and welcoming space, considering the specific needs of an environment where patients remain awake during procedures. With a significant amount of personnel working simultaneously and the frequent presence of apprentices, a space has been designed to allow discreet observation without interfering with the doctors' work.

Space distribution has been optimized to maximize efficiency and order. Corners have been created where observers can be present without disrupting the workflow. Special attention has been paid to storage, ensuring that all equipment and supplies are organized and accessible, contributing to reducing visual clutter. Well-defined niches keep consumable supplies tidy and out of the way.

The design is based on a color palette dominated by white, which brings brightness and a sense of spaciousness, counteracting the lack of natural light typical of a basement environment. Additionally, wood is used to add warmth and comfort to the space, creating a welcoming atmosphere for patients and staff alike.

·Pain Unit: The aim of the project is to develop a space that allows the patient to move with great ease thanks to the signage and assistive factors of the space. A space without architectural barri-ers, which allows accessibility for everyone in each type of space. A collaborative work area is developed in the central area and is open to professionals. Around the work area are server spaces for the patient. The project is based on neuroarchitecture concepts, where the space also encourages patient care and helps convey a sense of well-being and tranquility for their recovery. The solution offers rooms with the highest ceiling height possible depending on the space where it is located, carefully studying the systems and the development of the facilities.

·Intermediate Care Unit: This renovation is part of the expansion of the new Intermediate Care Unit at Clínic Hospital, which is based on the needs of the users of this area: both the professionals who work under prolonged stress and the patients who are going through delicate moments in their health.

With the aim of mitigating stress and improving the experience of those who inhabit this space, a unit has been created where comfort, well-being, and privacy are prioritized. To achieve this, modern and organized environments have been designed to reduce sensory overload. Neutral colors, natural materials, and appropriate lighting have been used to generate feelings of warmth, serenity, and tranquility in every corner.

Regarding the artificial lighting installed, it responds to the changes that our body experiences in 24 hours, conditioned by light and darkness. Employing the concept of the "circadian rhythm," soft lights with yellow/orange tones have been chosen, which mimic natural light at dawn or dusk, to naturally accompany the biological aspects that directly impact the patient's/family's rest, and consequently their recovery.
Another noteworthy aspect of the project is the "personalization of space." All rooms have a unique area to be intervened by the hospitalized person. In this way, the space "opens up" and invites users to adapt the room to their liking and generate a sense of belonging beneficial to them.

Regarding furniture, the philosophy of integration proposed by AHEAD has been followed to optimize spaces. Through the design of built-in furniture as an integral part of the architecture, the use of areas dedicated to storage is enhanced. In this way, daily work and the circulation of professionals are facilitated, despite space limitations.

·Hepatic ICU: The unit has 6 semi-critical rooms and 8 rooms of critics, located at the end of the pavilion to obtain more natural light and larger spaces. Rooms have increased in size, allowing the beds to be placed in parallel to the facade and creating the best space for the patient.

A piece of furniture has been designed for each room, integrating RFID technology, handwashing and necessary elements for the staff in their day to day life. In this way we want to optimize the work of the staff, improving their attention to the patient.
The box is the patient's habitat for a long period of time, for this reason an intimate, comfortable, collected space has been made, with the possibility of customizing it by means of magnetic walls that allow to hang pictures or other elements of the patient. The glazed walls have been removed between the boxes, and the wall of the hallway has some vinyls that reduce the pecking effect on the patient. They have also removed all the sound alarms on the inside, and the lighting has been carefully studied so that it is adequate during the day and at night.

The new Hepatic UCI is the new reference for the safety and comfort of the patient.

·Hepatic Hemodynamics: The unit consists of 2 hemodynamic rooms, with an interior treatment at the level of an operating room: glass walls, furniture integrated into the walls, adequate lighting for interventions, and all the equipment and technology to continue advancing in the study and interventional treatment of liver diseases.
There is also a multifunctional room that serves to prepare the patient or perform complementary tests. The control of the rooms is equipped with several monitors to have a direct monitoring and vision of the patient and the procedure that is performed.

·Coronary Unit and Day Care Unit:The renovation of the Coronary Unit is located on the pavilions 0 and 1, on the 6th floor of the Hospital Clínic. It consists of two parts: the day care unit and the critical care unit. The waiting area is the central common space, from where you access to both areas. The day care unit has capacity for 14 patients, and includes all support areas for patients and health professionals. It’s an open space with glass partition walls, allowing natural light to enter to all the space, and at the same time closing spaces individually. The central nursing point allows an optimal functioning of the area. The critical care unit has 10 single rooms for critical patients, and 2 single rooms and 2 double rooms with bathroom for semi-critical patients. Rooms are situated around the central nursing station, from where all the rooms are visible. The nursing station has different areas: working area, medication working area, storage and cleaning area. On the remaining spaces of the unit are located offices and rooms for health professionals and technical areas. Partitions between rooms and corridor are made of automatic sliding glass doors, and partitions between rooms have glass windows. Glass is electropolarized, allowing it to be transparent or opaque according to each patient needs. There are two interior rooms without windows that can have access to natural light through the glass partitions with the next room. The unit enjoys plenty of natural light due to its location on the 6th floor of the building. Natural lighting has been upgraded with glass partitions, and the only closed spaces are bathrooms, lockers and technical areas. Patients are in direct contact with the outside, in a sensitive and visual way.