Italian job, The

Hospital Development, Jul 1999 by Nord, Romano Del

As regards the playing spaces, a personal area in the patients' room has been provided, plus an external area, that is to say the room balcony, which has been fitted up with flower-vases, small tables and chairs. Some internal common areas (for example three of the play rooms) have been delineated by age (first and second infancy, third infancy and adolescence), so that they can be fitted up accordingly, either with traditional or multimedia elements.

As regards the common external areas, playgrounds have been fitted up with benches, fountains, labyrinths, music etc, and the zone located between the entrance park and the principal building has been used to reproduce the external areas on a small scale in an enclosed space, to make possible its use during the winter (the routes for the staff's and the patient's passage have been naturally preserved). A similar space has been created on the second floor so that it can be used by the long-term patients. A divan bed has been put into the childrens' rooms, to give parents the opportunity of sleeping close to their child.

Apposite internal facilities have been dedicated to the parents, for example: launderette, kitchen, bathrooms, newstand, bar, chemist's shop and public telephones. The reception space has been provided with maps and information panels to reduce the problems of orientation and of the acquisition of information and at the same time to involve the parents in the activities of the hospital.

A very important element that has been considered is the necessary presence of vegetation either inside the hospital (for example in the room or in the room balcony) or outdoors. It is visible from the inside, which is very important for its psychological and physiological benefits.

The result has been a balanced combination of a totally new block strictly integrated with the upgraded existing building, in which the environmental effects of interior and exterior spaces have created a facility characterised by human dimensions.

Romano Del Nord is an architect with Italian firm CSPE.