Vaillo+Irigaray Architects has modernised a 19th-century psychiatric centre in the Spanish city of Pamplona by adding a series of structures with gabled profiles that reference the forms of the existing buildings.

The project represents the first stage of a masterplan by local studio Vaillo+Irigaray Architects to redevelop the healthcare facility, which occupies a large site with extensive grounds on the edge of the city.
The Centro Psicogeriatrico San Francisco Javier is operated by the local government and supports people with mental illnesses through the provision of accommodation and on-site care.

The centre occupies a large group of 19th-century buildings arranged in a geometric formation around landscaped gardens.
The studio was asked to renovate several of the buildings and introduce contemporary additions, while retaining the relationship between the structures and their natural surroundings.
"The aim is to enhance the original 'hygienist spirit' and 'therapeutic spirit' favouring occupational therapy and daily activities as fundamental treatments elements for good care of patients," said the architects.

The design of new structures focuses on creating hybridised forms that combine references to the existing architecture with contemporary treatments and details.
The architects described the additions as "prostheses" that aim to extend the facility's performance through the introduction of new spaces with enhanced capabilities.

"In the ...