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IN THE AMBASZ'S ARK
project by Emilio Ambasz & Associates
photo by Alessandro Paderni, EYE-Studio
text by Francesca Zani

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The wellbeing of the patient is at the heart of the design thought process followed by Emilio Ambasz and Studio Altieri of Vicenza, Italy, for the new hospital in Mestre.  Conceived as “a machine for healing, not a place where you stay in bed”, the new cutting edge hospital, both inside and out, assigns to Nature an indisputably therapeutic role. Everything, from the plant and machinery to the choice of materials, has been designed to reconcile the built and the natural worlds.

Think about how we feel when, as a patient, we set foot inside a hospital.  Could it be that, all too often, our natural anxiety about our health is heightened by the cold, sterile atmosphere of a place that should instead be welcoming and reassuring? It is with this in mind that the new hospital in Mestre, near Venice, Italy, designed by Emilio Ambasz and Studio Altieri breaks new ground, providing an entirely new model for hospital buildings. “It looks nothing like a hospital” said our photographer when he got back from Mestre, adding: “There should be more hospitals like that.  It’s good to see that things are changing here in Italy too…” Never a truer word spoken.

THE PROJECT  An ark ploughing the waves is an awe-inspiring sight, as is Ospedale dell’Angelo: a hospital set in the midst of parkland stretching over some 260,000 m2 and dotted with hills, woodland and lakes. All part of a master plan to integrate buildings with Nature, as if long-term adversaries, the built and natural worlds, have become reconciled. This is where the design of the hospital really comes into its own, translating into fact the concept of “green over grey”, the evocative design paradigm originated by Emilio Ambasz, Argentinean by birth and American by adoption: “The philosophy of the new hospital is the one which I’ve always held to: green over grey. I try to give back to the local community the land that the hospital has taken over. I try to reconcile the impossible: the building the contractors want and the natural green space the local community wants. […]. As a result, the enormous conservatory in the entrance hall of the new hospital will be open to everyone, save at night”.
The hospital building is made up of two parts. The lower block, with two floors above ground and one underground, houses the accident and emergency department, the operating theatres, the laboratories and the visitors’ reception area. Completely hidden from view by grassy lawn, this is where ‘green’ really does meet ‘grey’. On this lower block sits the building containing the patient floors: six floors that are cantilevered and take on the external appearance of sloping terracing. The relationship between these two structures is sealed by a huge glass wall, which stretches the full length of the hospital and embraces it at its peak, creating a vast atrium housing shops, food and drink outlets and service areas.
The focal point of the design, in terms of technology, aesthetics and symbolism, is, without doubt, the enormous glass wall of the atrium. Like the roof of a great greenhouse, it demarcates an area symbolically associated with welcome, hospitality and protection. The fact that it is transparent permits dialogue between outside and in, and the atrium has the feel of a lively town square, where the physical and mental wellbeing of those under its wing are fortified by being at one with Nature, both inside and out.
The conservatory also has an important functional role: “The glass wall is not just there for its visual effect. It protects the plants, just like a greenhouse, which is why, even though you can’t see it, it’s open, both at the top and at the base, so that air can circulate and condensation doesn’t build up. Its other essential job is to cut out the noise from the nearby railway line and, because it slopes, when it’s dark outside there is no mirror effect, rather it becomes a black wall, but it remains a window onto the park.”
But what about during the summer? With such a huge expanse of glass, it seems hard to believe that there would be a way around the problem of direct sunlight. There is however, a solution: adjustable openings in the base and apex of the glass wall, linked to sensors, make maximum use of natural ventilation, meaning consistent, ideal comfort levels and cutting down on air-conditioning.
The six patient floors overlook the conservatory, that vast meeting place below, and the floors are progressively staggered at 2.5m intervals in a south-easterly direction, forming a cascade of terracing which, with the floors overhanging each other, creates areas of shade that help fend off the sun’s rays.  The same terraced structure can be found on the building’s north-west façade, this time further enlivened by plants.

The patients’ building     The rooms, with their state-of-the-art technology, are built to accommodate either one or two beds and were designed for flexibility so that the space in the hospital can be adapted to ongoing needs as departments expand. They have a double aspect: “All the rooms have a view over the green area beyond. This arrangement not only ensures the comfort of the working environment, but has also made it possible to present smooth, uncluttered internal views since much of the evidence of plant and machinery is hidden from view.

Sustainability The issue of energy consumption, one that is crucial in a project of this scale, was tackled with sustainability as a key element, leading to state-of-the-art solutions. In some cases, technological input proved to be of fundamental importance – for example the “active” façades of the patient floors. A system of double glass walls separated by a cavity (into which used air is channelled) means a major reduction in external-internal heat exchange, cutting down on the need for forced air-conditioning.
The problem of energy self-sufficiency has also been neatly solved: a cogeneration plant fuelled by methane gas provides both the heating and power required, resulting in a 40% saving in energy from primary sources.
Other solutions were inspired largely by careful observation of Nature and how she works, leading to the extensive use of densely planted lawns and plants to cover the lower block, and the creation of hanging gardens – an extremely clever idea that guarantees natural regulation of the microclimate and increases the building’s heat insulation in both summer and winter. “Think about the underground car park. It had to have some sort of covering, didn’t it? And how much would that have cost? Instead, with grass I’ve managed to get temperature control without the need for any other work.” Ambasz has opened our eyes: quite simply, Nature has something to teach us.

La Banca dell’Occhio
While the focal point of the whole project is the hospital building itself, it shares the park with the Banca dell’Occhio, or ‘eye bank’: the only centre in the world dedicated to the culture of epithelium stem cells and the first in Europe to collect and distribute tissue to be used in corneal transplants. The design is based on a novel metaphorical reinterpretation of the structure of the human eye. The triangular plan is delineated by two retaining walls at 90 degrees to each other, 12 metres in height with with a copper sheet covering, with the third wall, densely planted with greenery, structured as sloping terracing leading to a circular courtyard. The basement houses the training facilities, including a 450 seat auditorium, while the offices, laboratories and operating theatres are on the three floors above ground. Plants have made this building their home too, climbing across and along the walls, discreetly establishing themselves as a main feature of the open areas of the building, perfectly mirroring the hospital building nearby.

The critics  Like any large project, the Mestre hospital has received plenty of plaudits as well as having just as many critics, the latter led by those who found fault with the way that the work was financed. The project was in fact Italy’s first experience of ‘Project Financing’: a scheme which involves the private sector in public sector investment. Services connected with the management of this ‘machine’ are all in private hands, meaning a return on their investment. That this new style of financing gives rise to doubts and fears is understandable, especially as it involves a ‘sensitive’ area such as health care, the cost of which should, by definition, be 100% the responsibility of the state. But it cannot be denied that there is a positive side to the deal: without private investment, completion of such a huge construction project within only four years of its February 2004 start date would, quite simply, have been inconceivable.