SUSTAINABILITY
but also as a large intermediate space in the manner of the Roman galleries already mentioned that temper and serve as a transition between the exterior and interior spaces in the region’s rooms, and which, in addition to generating a response to the climate, also produces its own architectural language; an identity. Once one advances from the public part
towards the hospitalisation area, vertical brick slabs are proposed towards the east where the sun is horizontal. These vertical sunshades partially block the sun from this orientation, reducing its impact on the interior of the rooms, and at the same time, by being arranged diagonally, they allow the patients to see outside the building. They are also linked by a horizontal eave, which regulates the institutional scale and makes it more domestic, always respecting the construction system used in the rest of the work. For its part, the west facade is treated in a similar way to the east, although the former is more closed, in order to avoid the high solar incidence that this orientation presents, added to the fact that it has also gained heat from the exterior throughout the day. (Fig 2) As for the rest of the façade envelopes,
it is worth mentioning the lessons learned from historic buildings in the city of Córdoba, such as the Monserrat National School, approximately 400 years old, which is characterised by its coolness in summer and warmth in winter, product of its masonry walls of more than one meter thick, which are reinterpreted for this hospital as double walls with air chambers filled with expanded polystyrene, in the manner of a ventilated façade but with traditional construction technology, thus reducing the thickness but achieving the desired thermal insulation.
Matter and light Natural light has always been an issue that interests us, allowing it to enter spaces indirectly, generating atmospheres; in a direct way as ‘matter’ (understood as one more construction material like rest), that continually modifies the space, or by combining these two resources. In order to get closer to a humanisation of healthcare, the planned distribution of spaces allows the vast majority of rooms to have natural ventilation and lighting. In the public waiting area, the large-scale space is divided and organised thanks to the presence of courtyards, placing skylights at its ends, almost as signage for the different waiting areas. In the ICU area, working with natural light is not only an architectural resource, but it also has a therapeutic connotation. For this reason, three zenithal light entrances were designed to ensure that the patients perceive the trajectory of sunlight throughout the day, somehow keeping their biological clock (known as circadian
72
Facade-section detail of ambulance entry sector.
rhythm) active. The use of skylights in the project reduces the need for artificial lighting, while contributing to the humanisation of the environments for health, often being in practice simply a small cut in the reinforced concrete slab.
Technology and tradition At this point, something to note is that once you reach to the interior rooms of the hospital, the craftsmanship and rusticity of the bricks on the façades comes to its end as a design resource, using instead all the materials and technological equipment required for the spaces to work correctly and provide the required sanitary necessities. This means technology and tradition coexisting in the same building in an efficient and measured way, at the service of common sense when this is required.
Conclusion In this way, our conclusion is that, as architects, we can greatly contribute from our place to the reduction of energy consumption by using common sense in design, primarily, by paying attention to the design of façade envelopes, studying the decisions of implantation, layout and
orientation and taking advantage of the prevailing winds. As to technology, knowing the logic of each material and its tradition in the constructive culture of the area, putting greater value on the learning provided by history rather than on the indiscriminate over-information received today through the networks, conceiving the building as a living organism and aiming the design decisions in pursuit of the comfort of the inhabitant and reducing artificial thermal conditioning to the maximum. In synthesis, collaborating from our discipline in the construction of a more comfortable, habitable and sustainable world, establishing a commitment to the environment and to future generations.
References 1 UN Environment Programme. 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction [
www.globalabc.org].
2 Wladimiro Acosta. Vivienda y clima (1976). 3 Arquitectura Viva Library, Gando. AV Monographs N°201. 28 Feb 2018 [
www.arquitecturaviva.com].
4 Viale S, Dutari I, Paz A. Hospital Municipal Villa el Libertador Príncipe de Asturias [
www.archdaily.cl].
IFHE DIGEST 2025
IFHE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
