The Ilustre Colegio de Médicos de Madrid (ICOMEM) is undergoing a complex renovation project, in which the exterior wood carpentry takes on great importance.
The project contemplates the integral rehabilitation of this magnificent building located on Santa Isabel Street, which has been the headquarters of the College since 1970. After successive conservation and modernization reforms, it has now become a center that hosts various professional, scientific and cultural activities. Under the guidelines of the European Institute of Innovation (IEI), the architectural values of the building will be rescued, preserving the historical elements, including the carpentry, in the different areas of the intervention: the classrooms of Niño Perdido, Severo Ochoa, Teófilo Hernández…
The Board of the College itself, which manages the work, has entrusted Grupo GUBIA with the restoration of the original carpentry of the building. This carpentry, quite deteriorated by the passage of time and the continuous interventions in the building, will be replaced by a high quality carpentry. This will have higher thermal and acoustic insulation values, but preserving the aesthetics and constructive and historical details of the original elements.
Analysis of the carpentry of the College
The collaboration between IEI, ICOMEM and Grupo GUBIA has allowed to carry out the research, analysis and development of new carpentry profiles to meet the requirements demanded by Heritage and Culture.
The first phase of the project is already in full swing. As we have worked on other protected buildings, such as the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville, full-scale mock-ups have been made with the new carpentry profile, in iroko wood. This profile, with a double sealing joint, will comply with all environmental efficiency and comfort standards for the building’s users.
Production in workshop
At the moment, the workshop is in full production, shaping, profiling and machining the different pieces, which will be assembled to give shape to the new balconies and windows. The Grupo GUBIA team has extensive experience in this type of fine joinery work, in which the craftsmanship and professionalism of the carpentry officers is key to ensuring durability. The correct choice of the species, its cuts, fiber direction, hygroscopic moisture content, etc. are decisive factors in the final result.
The College of Physicians of Madrid is confident that our project management will ensure an exceptional recovery of the carpentry. This represents a further step towards the preservation and enhancement of the city’s built heritage. It is hoped that the new carpentry will be a lasting testimony to the technical mastery and attention to detail that characterizes us. For us, it is both a challenge and a joy to collaborate in this work to keep history alive through wood.
