OUR LADY OF LA MERCÈ PAVILION MAJOR REHABILITATION, SANT PAU HOSPITAL

The Sant Pau hospital complex, designed at the end of the nineteenth century by the modernist architect Domenech i Montaner, is located in the center of Barcelona. The property, which spans over 9 hectares (approximately 22 acres) of land, is spread over 17 pavilions occupying 60,000 m2 (about 650,000 square feet). The pavilions were conceived as a small city with streets, gardens, buildings and a network of underground service tunnels connecting each of them. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, the pavilions, which are no longer used for medical purposes, represent one of the most important examples of Catalan modernism. 

The main objective of the project for the Pavilion of La Mercè was to return the building to its former glory and preserve it for future generations. Specific tasks included the identification, restauration and subsequent maintenance of much of the original architectural elements using the same techniques and practices that had been used in the construction of the original building, updating them as needed to ensure that the building would maintain its structural integrity and weatherproofness. As such, all the roofs (except for the dome which had been rebuilt in 2009), the facades and various ornamental elements made of stone, ceramics and bricks, were restored. Additional rehabilitation work was also conducted on various elements of the building exteriors, notably its metal structure and the water downpipes. In many cases the poor condition of those exterior elements were found to be the cause of the extensive damage that had been observed in the building.