MADRE TERESA DI CALCUTTA HOSPITAL
MONSELICE (PD)

CLIENT

ULSS 17 – Este and Monselice

ARCHITECTURE

Arch. Aymeric Zublena – SCAU SA

LOCATION

Monselice (PD)

MARKET

Healthcare buildings

SURFACE

73.000 mq

YEAR

Design: 2006 – 2008
Completion of works: 2015

EXPERTISE

  • Preliminary design
  • Acoustic consultancy
  • Fire prevention design
  • Safety coordination during design
  • Supervision of works

FEATURES

  • Beds: 447
  • Surgical rooms: 10 ordinary + 4 day surgery and 4 surgical outpatient clinics
  • Laboratories: 1500 mq
  • Parking spaces: 1800
  • One of the first Covid-Hospital in Italy

The Hospital Complex project leans towards the concept of “green architecture,” aiming to deeply integrate architecture with nature. The hospital complex was built in just 4 years thanks to careful multi-level management process control.

The Architectural Concept
The main aims that have determined the architecture of the project are as follows: • Structural flexibility: This allows for the integration of all programmatic, technical, and social evolutions that will take place in the future life of the hospital. • Improvement of acceptance and accommodation conditions for visitors and patients: The primary goal is a true humanization of the hospital, taking into account the physical and psychological dimensions of the patient, as well as the working conditions of the staff. The architecture is characterized by the concept of horizontality. This volumetric layout, common in many contemporary hospitals, corresponds to the intention of organizing major medical functions (such as outpatient clinics, diagnostic sectors, or operating rooms) on separate levels. Horizontality ensures operational efficiency by placing functions that need to be close together on the same level. This approach minimizes vertical movements (such as lifts and stretcher lifts) that can prolong transfer times. The horizontal organization also effectively addresses the need for great flexibility, which can be applied from the early stages of the project, during construction, and even after the hospital becomes operational. The large “wave” roof, which connects the three parts of the building and covers the technical infrastructure on the terrace, is the most distinctive architectural feature of this hospital. This roof provides the ensemble with a welcoming, dynamic, and distinctly contemporary image, and its shape can be seen as an architectural counterpart to the surrounding hills. The main facade, where the hospital entrance is located, stretches over 200 meters. It is characterized by the glass volume of the large entrance hall, whose curve harmoniously interacts with the geometry of the wave roof. The spacious main hall benefits from natural light thanks to its glazing and is protected by sunshades that control solar exposure. It allows for the reception and orientation of visitors and patients directly from the entrance, where waiting and reception areas are clearly visible. Finally, the monumental stairs leading to the amphitheater and the mass housing various public facilities are notable elements of the hall. Thus, the functional organization and architecture make this key space, which significantly influences the overall impression, a convivial and serene place.
Technologies and systems

The New Hospital has been conceived with technological and plant solutions aimed at reducing the consumption of primary energy compared to equivalent structures. From a general point of view, the project was integrated with a detailed energy study that allowed determining the correct value of insulation and solar protection based on a cost-benefit analysis. In this regard, the project was ahead of the recent legislation introduced only in June 2015, which operates precisely in this direction, avoiding unnecessary increases in winter insulation thicknesses that could then lead to reduced solar contribution utilization and summer overheating, thereby increasing air conditioning costs.

The project involved the creation of a dedicated and separate building called the Technological Hub, capable of hosting various technological centers and interacting with economic services. This Technological Hub was connected to the Hospital through an underground tunnel through which all technological mainlines pass. The particular solution of placing the plant shafts and electrical rooms on each floor alongside the main distribution systems has allowed avoiding the construction of vertical elements that, in the case of internal restructuring, would constitute constraints. The sizing of the inter-floor height facilitated integration between architecture and systems, ensuring the possibility of accommodating above the false ceilings in the corridors the so-called “plant sandwich” which allows for easier and faster installation of ducts, cables, etc., as well as easier maintenance during the structure’s use. The trigeneration plant is able to recover the heat dissipated by the engines, which would otherwise be wasted, and is recovered through heat exchangers that contribute to heating the circuits in winter, while in summer, they provide cooling of the rooms through absorption chillers that convert recovered heat into cold. This achieves significant energy savings while reducing energy procurement costs.

The large surface area covered by the hospital building and the need to build sub-foundation structures suggested using the latter to extract geothermal energy from the ground, whose stratigraphy consists of alternating layers of silt and clay. Last but not least, the installation of solar thermal and photovoltaic panels integrated with the structure to partially meet the hospital’s energy needs with renewable energy should be mentioned.

 

GALLERY

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