History

On the plot on which the present building lies previously stood two pavilions pertaining to the Hospital del Mar: one for poliomyelitis patients, rehabilitation and a nurses’ residence, and the other for administrative services, organised around a patio which was once used as an entrance to the centre.

The building, which completes the complex of which Hospital del Mar is part, had been built in 1991, taking advantage of the celebration of the 1992 Olympic Games, to house the Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM), which was accredited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as an antidoping laboratory. The rest of the areas were empty, as the different proposals for installing some scientific-health premises, such as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products never came to light.

This narrow, 10-metre wide building measures 140 m in length and is arranged in the shape of a circumferential arch upon the axis of the pavilions that form the Hospital rooms. The architects of the building, which has three floors plus a basement, were Carles Buixadó and Joan Margarit.

Renovation

The renovation of the building for university purposes dates from 1998, the year in which it accommodated the new Biology studies. It was carried out by architects Josep Benedito, Frederic Crespo and Ramon Valls. The renovated surface area totals 3,350 m2.

At present, studies belonging to the field of health sciences are taught here. This building together with the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), when it is finished, will form the University’s Mar campus.