The Catalan government will declare the future health campuses for Hospital Clínic in Barcelona and the Girona health region as projects of general interest. This decision, to be approved by the Executive Council next Tuesday, prioritises two initiatives considered "strategic for the country", according to government officials.
This designation goes beyond a mere statement, helping to speed up urban planning procedures and the development of both projects. It will also affect their execution, for example, by giving them priority access to permits for connection and capacity in the national electricity grid, which is critical for large health and research facilities.
For the Clínic project, the strategic designation means that land on Diagonal, currently zoned for sports facilities at the University of Barcelona (UB), can be used for the new campus. This is linked to another agreement the government will adopt next Tuesday: the de-designation of the UB land, removing its public domain status and allowing the Generalitat to acquire it for the health campus. The autonomous administration committed to buying these properties for €132.5 million in an agreement signed months ago.
International Architecture Competition for Clínic Campus
Beyond the declaration of general interest, the future Clínic campus is moving forward with the publication of a preliminary announcement for an international architecture competition. The full competition is expected to launch in September. This initiative, part of Barcelona's designation as World Capital of Architecture 2026, aims to attract top proposals from architects and engineers globally.
Initially, ten multidisciplinary teams will be selected to develop their proposals until April 2027. Five teams will then present more detailed projects in December of the same year. The winning team, to be chosen in the first quarter of 2028, will receive a contract estimated at around €134 million. The current timeline projects the new campus opening in 2035, with total investments expected to be about €1.7 billion.
Girona Health Campus Progresses
For the Girona health campus, Infraestructures.cat recently awarded the architectural project to the joint venture Pinearq, SLP & Brullet de Luna y asociados and SLP & PEGI Engineering SL. Their proposal, 'Devesa de la Salut 21', received the highest score in the ideas competition, as discussed at a joint commission meeting in Girona on 9 March.
The total investment planned for this project is €740 million. The Department of Economy and Finance is preparing an economic and financial plan to explore options for funding such a large project. Albert Dalmau, Minister of the Presidency, told La Vanguardia that the government is "deploying all its power in the development of the country's health network and the transformation of its main facilities."
He added that the upcoming decision will "take another step with the aim of streamlining urban and energy procedures so that these two projects become a reality as soon as possible. The goal is to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles." The government's actions aim to ensure these major health infrastructure projects advance efficiently.
