Milan, Italy
“We worked with the clear intention of creating a well-designed building that would greatly improve comfort. A building that needed very little energy for heating, retaining heat, and generating little thermal gain required very little cooling. San Raffaele’s new Surgical and Emergency Department is certainly one of the projects that best illustrate the studio’s commitment to sustainability. Its iconic façade is a clear symbol of this,” states Mario Cucinella.
Mario Cucinella Architects complete the new Surgery Center and Emergency Ward at I.R.C.C.S. San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, combining efficient instrumentation and medical robotics with psychological well-being for patients.
The main characteristic of the building is its wrapped façade with ceramic louvers, resembling an “iceberg” due to its “cool appearance” as the Milanesi claim.
At the beginning of the process, Mario Cucinella designed a complex composed of two complementary volumes in both architectural and functional terms.
The first volume is the base containing the surgery unit, the emergency ward, and the hospital’s primary functions, while the second is a tower containing the additional 300 beds and the clinics.
Both tower and base structures are covered with a series of white ceramic stripes of different sizes on the northern and southern sides.
The strips shelter the hospital rooms from the sun and reveal the building as a sculptural object which is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
Mario Cucinella has designed the whole structure where daylight plays an important role in the hospital.
Natural light is beneficial for both patient care but also to boost the wellness of medical staff working long hours.
Structurally, the circulation routes have been carefully thought out to minimize time required for accessing vital critical facilities.
Additionally, the privacy of patients has also been carefully thought through with dedicated rooms for receiving visitors.
These reunions take place within less clinical, home-like spaces located within the wards which have the added benefit of enabling largely bed-bound patients to vary their surroundings.
These “visitor lounges” as well as the reception areas for visitors and outpatients are located on all levels and within the building’s corners, allowing for generous external vistas.
As a constant promoter of sustainability, Mario Cucinella and his team have selected hospital-grade materials for the interior that not only promote hygiene but are easy to clean thereby reducing resources required for maintenance.
Overall, operational systems in the building are all about reducing waste and bearing in mind that hospitals, in particular, consume exceptional amounts of energy due to their 24-hour workload.
In addition to the above, the ceramic stripes used for the façade are a key consideration in reducing heat gains by diffusing the impact of direct sunlight.
The architects used ceramic louvers varying in their depth responding to the path of the sun.
The ceramic has also been specially conceived to disintegrate smog particles and preserve heat, cutting energy consumption by 60 percent.
Project: San Raffaele Hospital
Architects: Mario Cucinella Architects
Designer Team: Mario Cucinella, Marco Dell’Agli, Giulio Desiderio, Michele Olivieri; Emanuele Dionig, Martina Buccitti, Alberto Menozzi, Laura Mancini, Giuseppe Perrone, Matteo Donini, Lello Fulginiti, and Daniele Basso
Bioclimatic design: Andrea Rossi
Client: IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele
Photographers: Duccio Malagamba
