Rosa María Vivar Foundation’s Day Center

GCA Architects has executed a project in which the materials, systems, and design create several spaces focused on its users’ well-being,with standards very different from those in normal healthcare settings.

This new 11,500-square-foot building was built and partitioned with CLT (cross-laminated timber) wood panelswhich was left exposed in order to allow users to enjoy the warmth of the material. Guided by KLEIN® SLID 150 sliding systems, large CLT wood panels streamline interior spaces and structure the center’s different activities into four modules, joined by a central hall,making it easy for patients and professionals to get around. Silent and minimalist, without any vertical frames or floor tracks, the SLID 150 system makes the wood the true star.

The use of and attendance to each module vary quite a bit, making the total and constant adaptability of indoor spaces an absolute necessity for this activity. Three of the four wings centralize the information, orientation, and counseling services available to patients and their families, as well as psychological and social support for caregivers. They can accommodate up to 80 patients with cognitive impairment, for half-day or full-days stays.

The cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation unit is located in the fourth module: it can accommodate up to 60 additional users, where preventative or mental agility workshops are carried out. From organizing different, simultaneous workshops in each separate and independent module, to allowing all users to share a single, ample common space, everything should be effortlessly possible. The concept of liquid and transformable spaces is extremely important here. KLEIN® LITE FOLD folding systems make this possible.

In order to provide each of the modules with their essential spatial flexibility, KLEIN® LITE FOLDfolding panels give structure to the design.

With different set-ups installed in each module (versions with 3, 4, or 5 folding panels), KLEIN® LITE FOLD allows spaces to be reorganized however and whenever the user wants.Thus, an enormous salon can be transformed into several small rooms by simply sliding the folding panels. It’s an ideal solution for the daily use of a multipurpose space.

The system’s black, recessed upper track,as well as its minimalist floor profile, blend into its surroundings and highlight the predominance of the wood. When the doors are open, the folding panels are stored laterally against a wall, taking up a minimal amount of space. Architectural integration and the total fusion of the spacestake center stage. Partitioning is instantly achieved by closing the doors, creating spaces that are adapted to the activities.

“Our goal was to create a warm, welcoming, bright place in which patients could spend the day feeling like they were at home, instead of in a hospital,” Explains María Jesús Lerín, the center’s director.