Manusa's collaboration with Cantallops Vicente Arquitectes for hospital projects

With more than two decades of experience in architecture, interior design, urban planning, and landscaping, the Barcelona firm Cantallops Vicente Arquitectes designs projects with an integrated approach in environments already transformed by man. Founded by Lluís Cantallops and Marta Vicente, the studio has gained experience in architecture within the healthcare sector over the past few years. Manusa has had the opportunity to work side by side with the team of architects, providing solutions and advice to meet the specific needs of the access to some of their hospital projects. In this article, we share a talk in which Lluís Cantallops reflects on the latest trends in the architecture of this sector and shares his experience with Manusa.

For Cantallops, hospital architecture has changed significantly in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point. According to Cantallops, the trend today is towards more humanised, comfortable and well-designed spaces, both for patients (many of whom remain in hospital for long stays) and for healthcare staff. In addition, hospitals are incorporating technology more and more, which has led to an increase in space for equipment and facilities. All this has led to a new, more efficient hospital model, combining medical care with comprehensive care for people.

Manusa has taken into account all these aspects in the healthcare sector projects carried out together with Cantallops Vicente. Within the framework of this collaboration, the firm highlights the double advantage of opting for Manusa automatic doors: on the one hand, the specifically designed solutions for accesses with demanding needs such as operating theatres, clean rooms, intensive care units or isolation spaces. In these environments, aspects such as the perimeter sealing system guarantee the control of conditions inside and the safety of patients and professionals. On the other hand, the design and customisation options of automatic doors create more humanised environments, which contribute to greater comfort in hospitals.

Successful projects with automatic doors

One example of collaboration is the Smart ICU project of Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona, after the pandemic. Among other solutions, Manusa supplied airlock systems to prevent the spread of infections between spaces. The system consists of two consecutive hinged doors, where the second one only opens when the first one is fully closed. In addition, a pressure regulation mechanism was integrated into the hospital's control system. The system prevents the generation of draughts between spaces and thus cross-contamination.

Another example highlighted by Cantallops is the renovation of the Cardiology floor of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona. In the project, standard sliding doors were installed to improve access to areas such as the day hospital and the echocardiography rooms; hermetic glass doors were installed in the individual rooms of the Cardiology Critical Care Unit, customised with opaque vinyls to ensure privacy. For this purpose, Manusa advised the firm on integrating the accesses into the hospital design. 

In this way, the collaboration between Cantallops Vicente and Manusa is based on a joint work that includes both the technical needs and those of the medical teams and the patients themselves – a 360º approach in which a close relationship is established to develop solutions tailored to each hospital project.