The refurbishment to improve the safety, accessibility and energy efficiency of the Victoria hostel will begin in autumn.
With the planned actions, the youth leisure area will be revitalised, the new elements of the building will be integrated into the environment and the facilities will be able to reopen.

TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Department of Social Affairs and Sports, through the IBJOVE, has awarded the contract for the refurbishment of the Victoria hostel to the construction company BAUEN. The work is scheduled to begin between September and October of this year and is expected to last around 12 months. The total budget is 2.27 million euros, part of which (1.67 million) comes from the Sustainable Tourism Tax.

The intervention will allow the hostel to meet the current regulatory requirements and reopen. Some of the actions to be carried out are the removal of architectural barriers, the construction of a second emergency staircase and the improvement of the energy efficiency of the building and its facilities. The refurbishment will improve the safety, accessibility and energy efficiency of this emblematic hostel located in Alcúdia.

In addition, the works will create spaces of a didactic and pedagogical nature, which will facilitate leisure among young people and will improve this unique resource for educational leisure in the Balearic Islands.

The architects of the project are Toni Gelabert and Gonzalo del Val.

Main actions
Some of the main actions will be carried out in the central courtyard of the building with the aim of making the most of the entire space. On the one hand, a new, large serpentine-shaped ramp will be built that will run through a large part of the courtyard, accompanied by a bench-railing and a series of other elements that will serve to make the space more dynamic for youth leisure activities. On the other hand, an emergency staircase will also be built, which will be erected as a natural totem. It will be an environmentally friendly construction, made of wood, which will be integrated into the landscape.

The project also envisages preserving and adapting the traditional architectural elements of the building. Thus, the sandstone construction, the ceramic roofs, the traditional wooden shutters and the hydraulic tile floors will be respected. In addition, all new construction will also be sustainable and environmentally friendly.

To ensure energy efficiency, photovoltaic panels will be installed, windows will be made airtight and the heating system will be changed to a solar boiler.

Historic building
It should be borne in mind that the building that houses the hostel is a construction that was inaugurated in 1964 and has been managed by the Govern de les Illes Balears for more than 50 years. Throughout all these years it has undergone small renovations that made its operation possible, until in July 2019 it had to be closed for safety reasons and due to the impossibility of adapting it to the regulations.