"The former Hospital of San Carlos is a former hospital built in Aranjuez, Madrid, during the reign of Charles III in honor of Saint Charles Borromeo. It was commissioned by architect Manuel Serrano between 1773 and 1776. It was later expanded by Isabel II. Until 1987, it belonged to the National Heritage, then passed to the Spanish State, and finally, since 1990, it has been owned by the Aranjuez City Council. Currently abandoned by the local council, it operated as a health center until the end of the 20th century.

In 2017, it was donated for 75 years to the Rey Juan Carlos University, which has invested €11 million to rehabilitate the building.
The project was developed by Gómez y Atienza Arquitectos based on the program provided by the Rey Juan Carlos University, to accommodate approximately 900 students, incorporating an auditorium for 300 people and administrative offices.
It was also necessary to equip the building with the necessary facilities to meet all the comfort and accessibility requirements of the 21st century, in accordance with current regulations, seeking maximum optimization and a respectful balance with the basic historical aspects of the existing neoclassical complex.

The Hospital's total built area was 4,239 m2, but it was necessary to demolish part of the mid-20th-century renovation, which encroached on an area of ​​the interior courtyard and the slab that divided the first nave from Hospital Street, in order to restore the original dimensions and layout. The total area was 512 m2. The available built area was reduced to 3,727 m2.

Since the approximate area designated for service spaces, circulation areas, and facilities is more than a quarter of the total, when creating the new floor area table, it was estimated necessary to add 1,160 m2 to obtain the final 4,887 m2.

This area was largely obtained below ground level. The auditorium was excavated beneath the original garden-orchard located on the frontage road facing Capitán Street, the entrances beneath the central bay dividing the courtyards, and the facilities on the new lower level under the Hospital Street wing, built in the 19th century. The complex and voluminous network of facilities has been hidden so as not to interfere with the original spaces.

Only the communications core—stairs and elevators—have been left visible, as they cannot be incorporated within the original building, as it would require demolishing a large part of it and disrupting the internal order; this would allow accessibility to all floors. The upper floor houses the essential air conditioning and ventilation equipment, which, due to its technical characteristics, must be located outside.

It was inaugurated in mid-2022."

Juan Zuñiga

"Neoclassical-style building built in the 18th century by architect Manuel Serrano on the orders of King Charles III. Its purpose was to serve as a hospital for royal employees and residents of the Royal Site of Aranjuez. The building was later expanded by order of Charles IV and Isabella II. During the Civil War, the building was used as a military hospital and later as a prison. In the second half of the 20th century, it was converted back into a hospital and nursing home belonging to the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul. It currently houses the Rey Juan Carlos University. The building has a quadrangular floor plan with two interior courtyards. Its main façade is notable for its two cushioned piers, each crowned by a canopy, supporting a semicircular arch topped with a cross."

Jörge

"They are currently undergoing renovations, it is being converted into a university. I know it from the inside and it is great."

Mariano Agrelo Martin