FCC Construcción has won the contract to refurbish and enlarge the building for the Faculty of Dentistry at CEU Cardenal Herrera University's Elche Campus. The contract is worth more than 7.5 million euro and has a completion period of 14 months. 

The project consists of the refurbishment, adaptation and extension of the existing building that was the former Capitolio Cinema with protected elements to house the Faculty of Dentistry at the CEU Cardenal Herrera University's Elche campus. The building is located within the protected area of the Palmeral de Elche, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and classified by the UNESCO World Heritage List, whose buffer zone also affects it, and the existing building is included in the ‘Special Plan for the Protection of Buildings and Sites in the Municipal District of Elche’. The elements to be considered are the façade with its composition, elements and materials and the public stairs with their decoration and elements.

The building of the old Capitol Cinema was built in 1947 by the architect Santiago Perez Aracil, which in turn was located on its east side on the medieval wall of the city.

The building was divided into three sections: the foyer, the projection room and the stage area. The cinema ceased to operate in 2003 and was renovated by the Inditex Group to house a commercial space.

During the development of the project, conservation interventions will be carried out on the most valuable and protected elements, as well as the recovery of the most affected section of the façade.

The use of the building will be the ‘Faculty and dental practice area’ for the CEU Cardenal Herrera University. Therefore, the main use will be teaching, within which there is a dental practice area, which occupies the basement and ground floors, while the part corresponding to university use is organised on the first and second floors. The cafeteria is located on the third floor. Thus, in order to provide the classrooms on the upper floors with natural light, two transversal courtyards have been created, which maintain and complete the existing steel structure, illuminate and ventilate the two upper floors and provide the ground floor with zenithal light. 

With these projects, FCC Construcción continues to be a benchmark in the refurbishment and construction of non-residential buildings for health, cultural, educational and sports uses.