Next Monday, June 17, the TGSS is scheduled to open a new office for public attention in the center of Oviedo. The facilities are put into operation in an emblematic building, located in the Plaza de la Escandalera, number 1, in front of the Campoamor Theater, the General Council of the Principality and the Campo de San Francisco. The area is easily accessible on foot or using means of transport.
The building
The building, in a regionalist mountain style with plateresque elements, was built in 1922 by the Asturian architect Manuel del Busto y Delgado. It was acquired on March 24, 1928 by the Asturian Social Security Fund, a regional collaborator of the extinct National Insurance Institute, and was its headquarters until its transfer in 1942 to the nearby Plaza del Carbayón. It has a built area of 4,169 square meters, distributed over seven floors (in addition to basement, attic and tower).
Partial rehabilitation
The property has undergone a partial rehabilitation, which affected the basement, lower, first, second, third, attic and tower plants. The remaining ones could not be so at that time because they were seconded or leased to third parties.
The contract was awarded in June 2016, at a cost of 2,956,573.11 euros. Although the work was completed in November 2019, during the guarantee period several implementation deficiencies were detected that prevented its effective use for the public service. These incidents were not considered officially corrected until March 2023.
Administrative use
The centre aims to showcase the new organisational model of the TGSS, which is committed to the dissemination and consolidation of e-government. In its main floor, face-to-face attention will be given to citizens and companies, especially assistance and digital support. It will also house the Registry Office, as well as the Executive Collection, Liability Derivation and Fraud Detection Units.
Forecasts
The fourth, fifth and sixth floors are currently empty and awaiting action, there being the project to complete the rehabilitation of the building, which, due to its historical nature, entity, style of construction, dimensions, location and institutional visibility, is suitable to be the headquarters of the Delegation of a future State Social Security Agency in the Principality of Asturias.