Retirement Homes Gràcia Residence: a renovated reception to welcome, communicate and care for

Gràcia, Barcelona | 2025

Type of intervention: Interior renovation and adaptation

Dimensions: 119m²

Duration: 8 weeks

La Residència de Gràcia, centre públic de residència assistida, centre de dia i casal per a gent gran, va iniciar un procés de transformació amb un objectiu molt clar: convertir la recepció en un espai més acollidor, funcional i alineat amb la manera com avui s’utilitza.

L’entrada d’un centre sociosanitari no és només un punt de pas. És el primer contacte amb les famílies, un espai de trobada, d’informació i també un lloc de treball intensiu per a l’equip de recepció. El repte era millorar l’experiència de tothom sense interrompre l’activitat diària del centre.

I WANT A REFORM LIKE THIS

The challenge: modernising without losing functionality or comfort

The managers of the center needed:

  • Modernizing the reception image

  • Make the space brighter and more pleasant

  • Improve the working conditions of staff

  • Create Family-Friendly Meeting Areas

  • Adapting the space to users with reduced mobility

In addition, as it is a health center in operation, it was essential to minimize demolition, noise and construction time.

The Gràcia Residence came to Efebé on the direct recommendation of another public center, the Santa Coloma Residence, with whom we had already worked previously. This prior trust was key, but so was our turnkey service: comprehensive permit management, safety coordination, weekly monitoring of the work and a single point of contact throughout the process.

A renovation designed in detail, with constant dialogue with the customer

Reception: optimizing the workspace and improving attention

The existing counter did not allow good internal mobility. Its location was completely rethought to improve workflows and designed:

  • A new counter with part adapted for people with wheelchairs

  • More storage capacity with drawers and closed furniture

  • Integration of installations under furniture to maintain a clean and tidy image

Part of the existing auxiliary furniture was restyled: it was painted, finishes were changed and aesthetically integrated with the new counter, reducing rubble and waste.

Access and waiting area: more light, less clinical sensation

In the area between the reception and the day centre, the deteriorated vinyl flooring was replaced and technical elements that remained visible were resolved.

A key change was the move from clinical green to a terracotta range, a warmer and more timeless color that visually connects with the day center and humanizes the space.

This same chromatic criterion was applied to benches and reused existing elements, ensuring visual coherence throughout the route.

Main reception space: communicate better and tidy visually

Furniture that generated darkness and was not used was eliminated, and the space was rethought to make it clearer and more communicative:

  • Incorporation of a digital screen to inform families and users

  • Maintenance of physical panels with upholstered boards, which allow flexible communication

  • Better visual balance between information, space and circulations

Lighting: a key study to transform the perception of space

The space had significant lighting deficiencies. A specific lighting study was carried out and the following were incorporated:

  • LED strips to reinforce the user’s journey

  • Improvement of work lighting at reception

  • New strategic points to promote daily activities

The result is a clearer, safer and more pleasant space, both for users and staff.

Visitor and living area: privacy without sacrificing light

One of the great challenges was to create a comfortable living space on a ground floor with no party walls and little natural light to enter.

The solution was a lattice-type wooden partition, which:

  • Allows light to pass through

  • Give privacy to family gatherings

  • Maintain visual control from reception

A variety of adapted furniture was incorporated: armchairs with armrests, benches, comfortable chairs and a recycled plastic yarn mat, easy to clean and fully accessible for wheelchairs.

A specific area was also created with tables and chairs for playing, reading or conversing, bringing life and real use to the space.

Co-created design: shared decisions, meaningful spaces

This project was developed with a constant weekly dialogue with the client. From colours to specific details – such as the treatment of an existing column with a terracotta finish – all decisions were made in a shared way.

At Efebé they don’t impose a design: they accompany it. This guarantees spaces that work because they respond to the real day-to-day life of the center.

Healthy and durable materials to improve well-being

In the living room, the wood paneling that generated darkness was replaced by a Vescom coating with low emissions, improving indoor air quality.
The entire project was executed with water-based paints and materials designed for healthcare environments, where comfort and health are essential.

Efebé Seal of Excellence in Sustainability

A project with measurable and real environmental commitment

The Residencia de Gràcia has the Seal of Excellence in Sustainability from Efebé*, a proprietary tool that evaluates the environmental, social and economic impact of our projects.

In this case, the project has obtained a very high rating, thanks to key decisions such as:

  • Reduction of debris and maintenance of the existing distribution

  • Reuse and restyling of the centre’s own furniture

  • Use of materials with low environmental impact and low emissions

  • Wood with up to 66% recycled material and environmental certification

  • Local suppliers (less than 1,000 km), reducing transport emissions

  • Responsible management of construction waste

* In the process of calculation and publication.

A space that takes care of people… and the future

The new reception of the Residencia de Gràcia is now a more human, bright and functional space, which improves the user experience, facilitates the work of the staff and reinforces the centre’s commitment to sustainability.

A project that shows that designing with meaning, dialogue and responsibility is the best way to generate positive impact.


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