(BDT_11_045) Residencia Alcázar Juan Hermanitas Ancianos

Description

Two key factors determine the appearance of this large architectural structure in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, which serves as a home for the elderly: firstly, the specific requirements of the extensive programme of spaces for the interior of the building, which follows the rules of the order of the Congregación de las Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados (Congretation of the Sisters of the Elderly and Homeless), who own and run the old people’s home; secondly, its specific location between the city and the open landscape in an area otherwise occupied by light industry and the municipal sewage treatment works. The provincial town of Alcázar de San Juan is situated in the middle of the Mancha, a somewhat barren and bizarre landscape whose wide expanses are interrupted by ranges and valleys alternating with a gridded patchwork of vineyards and olive groves.

Despite its strategic location on the direct rail route between Madrid and the Mediterranean, the city has managed to withstand outside influences and maintain its traditions and rural character. The historic town centre is home to baroque churches and monasteries as well as the tower of the “Alcázar”, the Moorish fortress that gives the town its name.

The elongated volume of the “Asilo de Ancianos” is arranged at right angles to the grain of the city and clearly demarcates the edge of the town: to its west open landscape, an industrial estate to the north, a bullring and hospital to the east and the local bypass road to the south.

The sizeable volume of the building has a distinct, uniform rust-red colouring achieved by mixing iron-sulphate pigment into the external render. This coloration creates a visual connection to the sandstone, of which the majority of the old town is built, and to the characteristic colour of the Mancha. It also lends the building a readily identifiable and consistent appearance, helping the staff and residents relate to it as “their” building.

To fulfil the aforementioned requirements, the architects Ignacio Vicens and José Antonio Ramos proposed a straightforward arrangement of two parallel strips punctuated with spaces and open areas of different characters. A larger rectangular section containing the chapel – open to both residents and the local inhabitants – connects the two strips and also relates through its size to the eastern edge of the town.

The rules of the Catholic order, which has a following in Spain and South America, decree that single men, single women and married couples have their own separate living areas. The internal structure of the building therefore has to provide two sets of canteens, common rooms and patients’ rooms, separated according to gender. In addition, there is a separate wing for the sisters of the order, for therapy rooms, the kitchens, laundry and other ancillary facilities. All these areas are clearly delineated architectonically, while at the same time the architects have attempted to link them via the external spaces. The living areas and corridors open out onto entrance lobbies, sometimes one storey high, sometimes three, so that old people with impaired mobility can still enjoy the natural surroundings and sunlight. These are complemented by a series of variously-sized patios cut out of the volume of the building, and walled gardens and terraces on the upper floors that are linked to the spaces within. The chapel likewise opens onto a small courtyard whose seasonally changing vegetation forms a background to the altar. The interlocking nature of indoor and outdoor spaces also applies to the colour and texture of the building and gardens, which are planted with local species. Cypresses and olive trees provide shade, while rosemary, thyme and lavender stimulate the senses with their aroma.

In the interior, the ochre-coloured brick flooring contrasts with the whitewashed walls which reflect the changing sunlight over the course of the day. The linearity of the corridors is interrupted by perpendicular views into the open lobby areas; the opposite sides of the walls are structured with stretches of birch veneer doors and panelling.

The simple treatment of the surfaces and the homogenous appearance of the exterior of the building contrast with the spatial richness of the interior and reflect the notion of monastic sacrifice. The contrasting rich materiality of the chapel is therefore all the more impressive. The use of Roman travertine, Venetian stucco lustro and gold leaf within the strict geometry and rectangular forms can be seen as a contemporary interpretation of baroque altar spaces. The architects pay particular attention to the powerful effect of light whose physical presence is symbolised and heightened in the glistening gold of the surfaces.

The sculptural treatment of the wall behind the altar in the chapel forms an abstract cross out of shafts of light and projections and recesses in the wall. A small oratory for private worship, accessible only from the sister’s living quarters on the third floor, projects into the interior of the chapel. This room appears to float above the gallery, allowing daylight to spill into the chapel through a glazing strip just above floor level. For the architects this is an expression of a central principle of the order founded in 1873: in the same way that the work of the nuns is dedicated to the well-being of the old people living in their care, here too the oratory designed especially for the sisters of the order also gives light to the residents of the home.

Although without doubt the architecture of the building provides a good environment for living in, the question remains as to whether this form of care for the elderly is able to give people a real sense of home and whether old age is the right phase in life with which to subordinate oneself to such a strict regime so unlike one’s previous way of life.