Designed by CSO Arquitectura, headed by Antón Freile, this expansion of the elderly residence which the same Madrid firm built in 2005 in Camarzana de Tera (Zamora), at kilometer 127 of the road linking Benavente to Vigo, has been shortlisted in the Architecture section of the 2020 FAD Awards.

The extension works as a partly buried plinth for the preexisting senior home, with courtyards opening and engaging in dialogue with the original construction. The program is divided into three bands tied by a longitudinal corridor. Two of them contain bedrooms with terraces of their own connecting with the shared courtyard. The third band harbors daytime functions, with a greenhouse attached to it.

The Passivhaus-certified geriatric hospital produces more energy than it consumes, deriving surplus energy from the old building. Active energy-saving strategies (photovoltaic solar panels, thermal solar panels, mechanical ventilation by means of heat recovery, and airconditioning through radiant floor heating) are combined with passive methods (facade insulation, floor insulation, landscaped roof insulation, woodwork with triple glass, natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting, solar control via porches, and the greenhouse). Seeking to form welcoming spaces bathed in natural light, the building is executed with a prefabricated timber frame system.