Polanco Health Center (SP)

This proposal began with a careful reading of the existing building and its context. Rather than imposing a new architecture, the project grows from the value already present in the original one-storey health centre, expanding it into a new complex of 2,700 m².

The design takes as its starting point the material identity of the existing brick building and its organisation around a courtyard. We revisited that logic of programme and natural light, reinforcing it through new skylights and a renewed relationship with the patio as the spatial heart of the project.

The extension is organised into two main volumes. At the centre, a new reception space welcomes visitors and clearly distributes the programme: emergency care to the left and clinical and healthcare areas to the right. Attached to this, a new two-storey volume expands the possibilities of the original scheme while maintaining its architectural spirit.

A new central courtyard brings natural light into the waiting areas, while transitional outdoor spaces are shaped through paving and material tones that echo the original palette. Ornamental fountains are introduced to recover a sense of calm for patients. Special attention was also given to clarity in wayfinding, allowing consultations and key areas to remain legible and visible from multiple points within the building. An imperial staircase, integrated into the architecture and finished in oak, becomes another important spatial element within the project.

The façade, conceived with a high degree of prefabrication, incorporates pigmented polymer concrete in earthy tones, establishing a dialogue with the existing architecture and integrating the building into the fluvial landscape of the Cabo River. In this way, the extension seeks not only to serve its programme, but also to become a new landmark for the town.