i-Covid Pere Virgili Hospital

The outbreak in our lives of coronavirus COVID-19 has led society to implement extreme hygiene measures to prevent its spread. Wearing masks, conscientiously washing our hands and social distancing are routines we have incorporated into our daily lives.

Many buildings have also adapted to health authorities’ recommendations to cope with the pandemic. One of these is the new i-Covid Pere Virgili Hospital, in Barcelona. This health centre belongs to the Catalan Government’s Department of Health.

It is a 4,000-square-metre multi-purpose medical space prepared so that it can be converted quickly into an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), to tend to people displaying coronavirus symptoms.

Additionally, it has two floors for conventional hospital admissions, one with units for critical patients and one with a Covid-19 diagnostic testing laboratory.

In this architectural project carried out by Constructora Calaf, Manusa designed, manufactured and installed the bi-parting doors and framed-leaf side opening entrance doors. They are located on the outside of the building as well as in sensitive wards, such as those spaces where the patients beds are.

Thanks to these automatic accesses, the health team and the patients can move fluidly inside and outside the building. The automatic sliding doors also prevent rapid changes in temperature, improving the energy efficiency of the hospital.

Likewise, at a time when it is necessary to be extremely careful with what we touch with our hands, society appreciates the possibility of not having to touch a door to pull it or push it open. The automation of these opening and closing elements helps to reduce virus transmission.