The ASPAYM Foundation for disabled people, in its XXV anniversary, has decided to build this small center near Ávila (Spain). The program turns around the rehab space, which is an extension of the hall. The absence of structure and the transparency of partitions allow a multifunctional conception of main areas.
The building is a rectangular ground floor pavilion along the street. It divides the plot into an access porch, a parking and a backyard. In an ugly environment, still unfinished, we have opted for a hermetic volume, with a strong material presence. But as soon as people enter, they can hold a gaze out the window, towards the garden.
The entire construction is solved with a ceiling with laminated wood beams that float on the ground at 2.70 m. height. The beams are separated 1.50 m to axes and are 72 cm wide. It gives the roof a strong presence and a plastic relief. In this way it is expected that the views and the interior atmosphere will be trapped under a singular but kind "lid". The energies of the project are concentrated in this sculptural ceiling because users perform a good part of the rehabilitation activities lying on stretchers facing upwards, or have a low vision because the wheelchairs.
The roof is supported by perimeter walls made of white concrete, which form a façade that is more closed to the street and a discontinuous façade to the garden. The windows and the main partitions are made of glass from floor to ceiling to preserve the continuity of the space. Installations man ducts run through the double ceiling structure, so that beams are visible.
