Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor

Next to the Autovía del Este road (A 3), this teaching hospital is halfway between Vicálvaro and the historic centre of Vallecas, built by Estudio Araujo in 2007. The project broke with the classic design of buildings arranged around courtyards that typically characterises healthcare settings, and is instead distributed along a central spine around which six buildings of different sizes and colours are grouped, which helps people find their way around more easily.

The design of architects Ramón Araujo, Arturo Berned and Luis Vidal has created a flexible hospital, composed of several modules of different colours, open to the surrounding gardens. The building envelope is a system of metal panels with modules corresponding to the spans between supports to achieve a high level of sun protection in addition to strict functionality. Energy control is based on extensive rooftop landscaping, solar control, natural ventilation and the use of renewable energy.