Clínica Ismael Oria / mar macías atelier

closed

Using natural materials typical of the area, the color white, light, and the craftsmanship of the different trades, we create a continuity of spaces that seduce the visitor and evoke vernacular architecture. The curved line organizes the space through a central void, which envelops and excites us upon entry. A threshold of organic shapes, shadow, light, sculptural, and structuring, becomes the heart of the clinic.The introduction of light into the spaces is achieved through large windows on both facades and a series of circular skylights on the roof. These skylights are generated with artificial light in those offices that do not require zenithal light, through an exercise in modeling the ceilings. In this way, we give prominence to this plane, very present in the patient's field of vision during treatments.The clinic is presented to the street as a solid, white construction, with pure lines, breaking with the surrounding buildings and approaching the simple architecture of whitewashed walls typical of this area of Huelva. The entrance door is also a crucial piece, designed to welcome when open and completely integrated into the architecture when closed. The meeting of the two facades is accentuated with an organic and generous gesture, which generates a silent, honest, and elegant movement that leads us to contemplation.The plot had a peculiar shape, located on a corner with two important facades. With our proposal, we tried to create a unique building that generates a city, designed to be admired from two very different scales: the scale of the pedestrian and the scale of the moving vehicle—a moment of calm and beauty close to the chaos of one of the city's main arteries.Text description provided by the architects.From the project assignment, I remember clearly how Ismael and Cristina eagerly shared their dream of building a new clinic with me, the initial meetings, the discussions we had about the program, and their concern about the irregularity of the plot. But what I have remembered most throughout the process are the words they repeated to me, which define what motivated them to embark on this project: "to give their patients and their team a better space; a unique and welcoming space."The curved stone staircase takes center stage, as well as the stone parapet, which accompanies the patient to the consultation area on the first floor.The clinic's program is organized on two floors. The ground floor is for common uses; hall, reception, waiting room, toilet, meeting room, and management, and the first floor, where the clinic's main uses are located: six offices, toilet, x-ray room, recovery room, office, and changing room.A reticular reinforced concrete structure closes towards the perimeter adjacent to the neighboring houses and opens outside with slender metal pillars, which become part of the architecture.