Behind the church of Sant Pere Nolasc, in the Plaça Castella in Barcelona, there are three simple buildings with straight angles and pure shapes. They form the Dispensari Central Antituberculós (Central Antituberculosis Clinic), the first complex exclusively dedicated to the treatment of tuberculosis in Catalonia and one of the finest examples of rationalist architecture in the country. The architects responsible for the project, Josep Lluis Sert, Joan Baptista Subirana and Josep Torres Clave, members of GATCPAC - were not looking to design an ostentatious building, rather the best technical solution for constructing a health complex.

The clinic is a set of three four-story concrete buildings with a raised floor in the form of a right angle or 'L'. The complex's construction, between 1934 and 1937, helped to promote a particularly dense urban area.

Inspired by the rationalist architecture movement that promoted functionality and simplicity, the architects took into consideration the criterion of Dr. Louis Sayé when building the compound: structures needed to allow for proper ventilation and air circulation as well as good sunlight for the treatment of patients. And this was achieved, although the trio of architects had to fight certain bylaws in the process.