A quarter established for medical treatment of illnesses, a hospital setting calls for an environment of comfort, health and warmth. And Meyer Hospital, a paediatric hospital in Florence, Italy is furnishing its patients with all of this and much more. Recently, this hospital upgraded a wing to a “green” and “sustainable” one, the intent being to provide an environment conducive to recovery whilst consuming minimum energy and natural resources.

Meyer Hospital houses 3 wings. The east wing hosts the university and research unit; the west wing, the outpatient facilities; and a central block houses the administrative department. The main entrance of the hospital leads to a glazed passageway to a ‘healing garden’, which further leads to the spacious upper atrium. The upper atrium features a play area for children that open towards a green roof.

The upper glass of the atrium is embedded with solar electric panels to generate energy and offset glare. The glass roof is installed with 47 solar tubes, which permits natural light to enter the building. These tubes lend an appearance of several ‘Pinocchio Hats’ lining the roof of the building. The green roof acts as an insulation cover, lowering the temperature inside the hospital greatly. 

The building’s walls are covered with 6 cm of  thermally insulating materials. This is expected to reduce 12% of the energy used annually for heating. Wooden-frame windows are incorporated in the building. Patient rooms are protected from direct sunlight by an overhanging sunshade. To reduce the visual impact of the building in the park, the shading system is covered externally with copper-plates and internally with wood.

Two high-efficiency condensing gas boilers and radiant floor panels have been installed for supply space heating. Radiant floors help reach a thermal comfort level at a low cost. Two electrical chillers have been installed for cooling purposes. A third chiller is also installed, which generates heat for domestic hot water.

Greenhouse

A bio-climatic entrance hall called the ‘Serra’ (greenhouse) which has been built surrounding the hospital building acts as the public face of the hospital. This curved triple-height space, attached to the central wing of the villa, is an innovative and sustainable atrium. This greenhouse is shaded by internal white blinds adjustable through an automatic control system. A 31 kWp of glass/glass Photovoltaic system installed at the greenhouse provides the opportunity of combining energy production with other functions of the building envelope such as shading, weather shielding and heat production.