The Inter-institutional Commission to study the viability of the future site of the Hospital Clínic Barcelona has confirmed that it is feasible to start the project to extend the centre in the Avinguda Diagonal area and, more specifically, in the space currently taken up by the sports facilities of the University of Barcelona (UB). The new centre will occupy an area of 290,000 m2.
This is the first step towards creating a cutting-edge, smart, national and international reference centre, which brings together on a single campus the Hospital Clínic’s healthcare, teaching, research and innovation in health.
The Commission was set up last May in order to assess the conditions of the location for the extension of the Hospital Clínic in the site occupied by the UB’s sports facilities on Avinguda Diagonal. Participants in the Commission are the Catalan Government’s Ministry of Health, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council, the University of Barcelona and the Hospital Clínic Barcelona.
Since it was created, the Commission has been studying the viability of the project from the points of view of urban planning, mobility, healthcare, teaching, research and innovation. The conclusion is that the site on Avinguda Diagonal is the one most suitable for expanding the centre and integrating these activities, in order to create one of the most important biomedical campuses in Europe, which will include the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences as well as research and innovation buildings.
The Commission has agreed that the urban planning tool for the transformation of the new Campus Clínic Diagonal will be that of the necessary modifications to the General Metropolitan Plan.
The future construction of the new facilities will allow the hospital’s Villarroel, Plató and Maternity Hospital centres to be maintained, in order to meet the needs of the reference population
It was also agreed to propose future uses for the Hospital’s current site in the Eixample and the Provença site to provide necessary facilities (healthcare, education, fire brigade, etc.) and green areas to open up public spaces in the Eixample district, making them compatible with the UB’s university uses. The proposals of needs and demands expressed by local residents will be taken into account.
In making the decision, in addition to the availability of space, the accessibility, impact on mobility and the quality of life of the reference population were also studied. In the next few months, working teams will be set up in order to finalize the project from technical and financial points of view and to establish a project timeline.
The need to expand the Hospital Clínic Barcelona was agreed on by all the institutions, since it occupies a hundred-year-old building that does not allow it to grow or incorporate the latest innovations and technological improvements.
In February 2021, all the institutions involved formally agreed to create a new space for the Hospital Clínic. And, in May 2022, they decided to set up a commission to study potential locations, with the UB's sports facilities on Avinguda Diagonal being the first option.
A working team will be set up with all the administrations involved, in order to finalize the project and establish a timeline.
