This small outpatient clinic is located in the town of Ravelo, a community in a rural environment that occupies an outstanding hillside location, on the island of Tenerife.

The building, in its function as a public space, is designed as a sort of diaphragm, which draws the public in and offers a natural transition from the street to an expanded perception of the surrounding landscape.

The building has been designed on two levels, both with street-level pedestrian access; this allows for a subtle differentiation in public access to the respective areas, each with its own functions and opening hours. The main floor is occupied by the medical surgeries, while the lower floor houses a small emergency service and multipurpose spaces for community activities.

The building is characterised by a dialogue between the external, concrete “frame”, open along the north-south axis, which constitutes an easily recognised, abstract landmark and lends the building its urban presence, and the continuous internal wooden skin which transforms the framed empty space into a series of rooms.

To the north, the concrete frame embraces the distant countryside, incorporating it into the everyday life of the clinic through the panoramic window, converting the waiting area into a room with panoramic views, a therapeutic space, directly connected with the landscape.

Project

Ravelo Medical Clinic

Situation

Calle Hoya de la Viuda, nº 9. Ravelo, El Sauzal. Tenerife. Canary Islands. Spain

Architects

GPY Arquitectos

Project Team

Juan Antonio González Pérez, Urbano Yanes Tuña, Constanze Sixt, José Juan Águilar Ramos

Technical Team

José Domingo Bethencourt

Client

Canary Islands Regional Government: Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs

Contract

Isgarpa

Constructed Surface

706 m²

Photographs

Efraín Pintos

Awards

WAN Healthcare Award, 2009: Honourable Mention | Design & Health International Academy Awards, 2009: Jury’s Special Award | World Architecture Festival WAF 2008: Shortlisted | Bienal Miami+Beach 2007: Bronze Medal.

Publications

Books: Nickl-Weller, Christine & Hans Nickel (ed.): Hospital Architecture. Braun Publishing, 2013 Van Uffelen, Chris: 1000x European Architecture. Braun Publishing AG, 2012 Galindo, Michelle: Doctor´s Practices. Braun Publishing AG, 2011 Jencks, Charles: The Architecture of Hope. London: Frances Lincoln LTD, 2010 Jeong, Kwang Young: Omni Hospitals. Seoul: Archiworld Co, 2010 Broto, Carles: Hospitales y Centros de Salud. Barcelona: Links Books, 2008

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