The laying of the foundation stone of the new building of the Nou hospital evangèlic (Nhe) will take place on 17 June at noon.

After more than 140 years of history, the new building will reinforce the hospital's commitment to the city of Barcelona (Spain). It will provide care in a neighbourhood with a particular shortage of social and health infrastructure.

The centenary hospital, which is strongly linked to the health fabric of the city and has an agreement with the public health system since 1976, will help to eliminate inequalities in access to medical services for the residents of the area.

The new centre will be a 10,000 square meters building with 190 beds plus a large outpatient area. It will mainly receive patients with complex chronic pathologies, intensive rehabilitation needs, continuous clinical monitoring, neurological and psycho-geriatric needs or end-of-life support.

Evangelical values

The hospital will maintain the evangelical values that underpin the identity of the institution and its understanding of health care, based on comprehensive care. It should become a place where people care for people, the leadership says.

The Nou hospital evangèlic was created in 1879. Throughout its more than 140 years of history, it has become a foundation dedicated to the welfare of all, and in recent decades especially, of the elderly.

The hospital's foundation has sold all its assets and has mortgaged itself for the next few years to build the new hospital on a land under administrative concession. They have done it to fulfil its mission of serving the city.

Innovative project

The new building was designed by an architectural studio with a solid track record in hospital architecture. It is an innovative building that respects its history, preserving the façade of the previous building, an old coach house.

The façade finishes also respect its surroundings, reproducing the green chromaticism present in the city and the clarity of the sky. The double-height foyer and the warm materials on the ground floor convey a sense of cosiness and well-being to the users.

The natural lighting, the two terraces, the roof and the contrasting arrangement of the beds in the rooms are key elements that humanise the project and make the hospital a healthy space that favours recovery of the patients.

Following one of the fundamental principles of the hospital, which is to actively listen to the patients, the design of the rooms has been carried out with their participation and that of the health workers, through surveys and tests on the space represented in real proportion and in virtual reality.

The event of laying the foundation stone will be broadcast live on the hospital's website.