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Children's center Catania
Children's center Catania
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Other Projects by Bit Architects
Children's center Catania
Project Details
Team Leader
Bit Architects
Project Team
Walter Cecchini
Filippo Conti
Filippo Parroni
City
Catania
Year
2014
Type
Competition
Designing of a center for sick children requires significant reflection on the state of mind of its future guests, the relationships between them and their relationship with the facility and outdoor spaces. It is essential to ensure an intimate and warm space, a "home", capable of conveying a familiar feeling of safety and security. The family living space must, however be permeable to the outside, to encourage socializing with other guests allowing them to share mutual experiences. The center also wants to be open to the city and allow it to enter inside, making meeting and play spaces available to the community and its guests.
The design concept came from a slice of clear separation between public and private space. This line has then been broken, shifted, perforated, to allow the permeability between these two functional spaces. It is no longer a "barrier," but a "filter”. [Filtro – in Latin filtrum, a porous body that allows the passage of the most subtle and pure - in Greek philtron, comes from the verb phileo meaning I love]. The primary objective of the project is therefore to encourage the creation of bilateral synergies among the guests and inhabitants of the neighborhood and city. It seeks to facilitate a return to "social normalcy" for both the child and the family, through socializing, play and sharing.
The dual public-private character of the functional program, the isolating condition and difficult accessibility of the lot strongly characterize the location and architectural choices. The area is currently isolated at 3 meters below the level of the adjacent streets, it does not benefit from any kind of relationship with the surrounding buildings, which will be bordered by high masonry blinds.
The lot has limited single point accessibility. In a jagged and irregular urban condition, where in a few tens of meters you pass through a low quality residential fabric to agriculture land, and then on to a public infrastructure such as a park and ride on the north side of the lot. This area acts as a buffer between completely different urban areas. The proposed building is immersed in a wooded park and acts as a permeability regulation device between public and private spheres. Each guest will have the opportunity to interact with others or seek their own privacy while feeling like part of the same system. Hence the choice to delineate spaces using "filter plates" capable of showing different permeability, according to the inclination of the eye of the observer. So at the same time the child or adult can decide how and when to interact with the public context, depending on their mood and the phase of the journey they are experiencing.
The lot was divided into strips with different levels of accessibility. There is public space devoted to traffic and parking, but also a park accessible to the city and neighborhood. The meeting space, consists of the plaza and multifunctional space and the adjacent green space, which may foster relationships through the arts, entertainment, play and sports. Lastly is the private space inside the center and dedicated to its activities.
The space reserved for traffic and parking is located on the south side of the area, corresponding to access from Via Palladino. After passing the last building on the access road, one arrives at an embankment from which you can observe the entire project. By taking the ramp you arrive at the -3 meter level, where the whole operation is situated. The ramp has been positioned on the outer boundary in order to reduce the impact of the traffic and to avoid vehicles entering the lot from the front. The car park has a ring road and can hold about 100 cars; pedestrian paths that lead safely to active areas of the intervention are flanked by parking spaces.
Tall trees, in order to filter the surrounding space and redefine the spaciousness found inside, bound the entire lot. Guests will then approach the multipurpose building and the internal plaza, separated by a first filter, which emits a horizontal blade, which guides and invites them into the building and the community area. From here the building is presented in its entirety, horizontally marked by a clear dividing line, which divides the whole complex into two different perceived levels.
Below there is a "human height" slab, of a constant height of 3 meters, with wood finish and jagged strips that allow a glimpse of the interior of the buildings, but leave the perception of volume and direction in tact, as well as protect from external eyes. Above these is a continuous white band that crowns the structure. It defines the volumes and hides the different features of the cover inside. The multipurpose space for example is completely permeable to light from above, through a wide trellis of laminated wood beams that have a translucent polycarbonate finish. The band's summit of the building at the private space rather, is lower and hides a sloped roof inside to accommodate the solar-thermal and photovoltaic panels. This ensures maximum effectiveness thanks to the southern orientation.
The structure of the building has been planned entirely in micromellar beech wood panels, through continuous walls bracing the two principal directions of the building. For the lower portion of the complex, which hosts distribution spaces and some laboratories, a system of parallel wood blades in view, fulfill their structural purpose, while allowing a high light transmittance and an important screen for direct sunlight.
The lights and related costs of the premises have been kept as low as possible. One way is by minimizing the thickness of the ceilings, which are also envisaged in continuous horizontal micro lamellar wooden slabs. The exception is the cover of the multi-purpose room, with lights of about 15 meters made through a lattice of micro lamellar beams made according to a primary warping coinciding with the same nodes. A continuous concrete slab forms the support base for the whole building and in particular for the wood panels that will be secured with bolted plates. Suitable waterproofing is provided for all of the wood panels to ensure the maximum life of the panel and the outer panels are separated from the ground to avoid deterioration of the material itself.
The building is designed according to the current Casaclima Directive, which seeks to not have an entirely orthodox and normal linear passive design from northern Italy, but to test a new paradigm adapted to climate-function circumstances. Considering that in Catania there is warm weather throughout the year. Monitoring excessive heat in the summer predominates compared to the problem of heating in the winter. Therefore it was decided to reverse the usual exposures placing the service areas on the south and habitable zones to the north, featuring sides that maximize solar gains and ventilation. The building was divided into four performance areas: long-term residential areas, transit and activity areas, technical zones and areas for physical activities.
Each area has different needs and peculiarities that can establish synergies between them. The residential and long-term stay areas such as the residences, offices, kitchen and library have been grouped into three compact blocks. They have good sun/ventilation ratios, highly insulated with fiber panels of wood or cork chosen by the Director of Works and equipped with advanced active climate control systems such as radiant floors (hot/cold) centralized heat recovery. The blocks are turned to the north to receive constant diffused light and never direct sunlight that would be excessive much of the year. This allows for large windows to be opened without heavily obscuring facades and to better enjoy the view of the park.
The residential blocks are connected by a continuous space located to the south that widens at the laboratory and reception area. This space is completely made of glass and fitted with seven right angles and is set back 1.7 meters with respect to the edge of the building. It acts as a real greenhouse even in the winter, while in the summer the formation of the seven angles and the protrusion do not allow sunlight to enter. When opened it allows cross ventilation that cools all environments.
In winter the stone covered floor accumulates heat that is gradually released during the day. This environment will not need a large energy intake and therefore will greatly cut maintenance costs, as well as, it preheats the incoming air in the residential blocks. The passive system heating and cooling systems will only need to be supplimented to cover peak cold temperatures.
Between the previous two areas are the service areas that support the residential areas. These prefabricated blocks contain all thermo electrical facilities necessary for building operation, allowing the installation cost and materials used to be reduced.
Only the ducts for the light fixtures to the LED technology and their controls will remain in view. All electrical systems will pass under the pavement, which is the only structural element to be implemented on site and therefore susceptible to change without extra cost.
The single floor design makes stairs and elevators unnecessary. All nodes of thermal bridges have been resolved and will then be verified by dynamic analysis. The insulation, coatings and paintwork used are designed to improve the thermal capacity of the walls as much as possible regarding phase shift and dampening behavior of the packages in summer. The slab foundation has bottom and side insulation in expanded clay, so as to minimize dissipation and thermal bridges.
The covering is made of metal components and allows for roof ventilation. Due to its white color, it is possible to take advantage of the albedo effect where no solar-photovoltaic-thermal systems are located. This reduces the internal temperatures by about 2-3 degrees.
Rainwater recovery and the use of non-toxic flooring materials (linoleum and adobe tiles) and finishes (clay plasters and distempers) frame the intervention as sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The multipurpose space is subject to the same principles as the connecting environments, being insulated and permeable for constant use throughout the year. The division into blocks allows for heating rooms by zones. For example, at night only thermally autonomous residence areas will be heated, during the day by taking advantage of the contributions and buildup from the large greenhouse kitchens and relaxation areas. Air conditioning will only operate when necessary. The compact bathrooms will always maintain a constant temperature.
Team Leader
Bit Architects
Project Team
Walter Cecchini
Filippo Conti
Filippo Parroni
City
Catania
Year
2014
Type
Competition
Designing of a center for sick children requires significant reflection on the state of mind of its future guests, the relationships between them and their relationship with the facility and outdoor spaces. It is essential to ensure an intimate and warm space, a "home", capable of conveying a familiar feeling of safety and security. The family living space must, however be permeable to the outside, to encourage socializing with other guests allowing them to share mutual experiences. The center also wants to be open to the city and allow it to enter inside, making meeting and play spaces available to the community and its guests.
The design concept came from a slice of clear separation between public and private space. This line has then been broken, shifted, perforated, to allow the permeability between these two functional spaces. It is no longer a "barrier," but a "filter”. [Filtro – in Latin filtrum, a porous body that allows the passage of the most subtle and pure - in Greek philtron, comes from the verb phileo meaning I love]. The primary objective of the project is therefore to encourage the creation of bilateral synergies among the guests and inhabitants of the neighborhood and city. It seeks to facilitate a return to "social normalcy" for both the child and the family, through socializing, play and sharing.
The dual public-private character of the functional program, the isolating condition and difficult accessibility of the lot strongly characterize the location and architectural choices. The area is currently isolated at 3 meters below the level of the adjacent streets, it does not benefit from any kind of relationship with the surrounding buildings, which will be bordered by high masonry blinds.
The lot has limited single point accessibility. In a jagged and irregular urban condition, where in a few tens of meters you pass through a low quality residential fabric to agriculture land, and then on to a public infrastructure such as a park and ride on the north side of the lot. This area acts as a buffer between completely different urban areas. The proposed building is immersed in a wooded park and acts as a permeability regulation device between public and private spheres. Each guest will have the opportunity to interact with others or seek their own privacy while feeling like part of the same system. Hence the choice to delineate spaces using "filter plates" capable of showing different permeability, according to the inclination of the eye of the observer. So at the same time the child or adult can decide how and when to interact with the public context, depending on their mood and the phase of the journey they are experiencing.
The lot was divided into strips with different levels of accessibility. There is public space devoted to traffic and parking, but also a park accessible to the city and neighborhood. The meeting space, consists of the plaza and multifunctional space and the adjacent green space, which may foster relationships through the arts, entertainment, play and sports. Lastly is the private space inside the center and dedicated to its activities.
The space reserved for traffic and parking is located on the south side of the area, corresponding to access from Via Palladino. After passing the last building on the access road, one arrives at an embankment from which you can observe the entire project. By taking the ramp you arrive at the -3 meter level, where the whole operation is situated. The ramp has been positioned on the outer boundary in order to reduce the impact of the traffic and to avoid vehicles entering the lot from the front. The car park has a ring road and can hold about 100 cars; pedestrian paths that lead safely to active areas of the intervention are flanked by parking spaces.
Tall trees, in order to filter the surrounding space and redefine the spaciousness found inside, bound the entire lot. Guests will then approach the multipurpose building and the internal plaza, separated by a first filter, which emits a horizontal blade, which guides and invites them into the building and the community area. From here the building is presented in its entirety, horizontally marked by a clear dividing line, which divides the whole complex into two different perceived levels.
Below there is a "human height" slab, of a constant height of 3 meters, with wood finish and jagged strips that allow a glimpse of the interior of the buildings, but leave the perception of volume and direction in tact, as well as protect from external eyes. Above these is a continuous white band that crowns the structure. It defines the volumes and hides the different features of the cover inside. The multipurpose space for example is completely permeable to light from above, through a wide trellis of laminated wood beams that have a translucent polycarbonate finish. The band's summit of the building at the private space rather, is lower and hides a sloped roof inside to accommodate the solar-thermal and photovoltaic panels. This ensures maximum effectiveness thanks to the southern orientation.
The structure of the building has been planned entirely in micromellar beech wood panels, through continuous walls bracing the two principal directions of the building. For the lower portion of the complex, which hosts distribution spaces and some laboratories, a system of parallel wood blades in view, fulfill their structural purpose, while allowing a high light transmittance and an important screen for direct sunlight.
The lights and related costs of the premises have been kept as low as possible. One way is by minimizing the thickness of the ceilings, which are also envisaged in continuous horizontal micro lamellar wooden slabs. The exception is the cover of the multi-purpose room, with lights of about 15 meters made through a lattice of micro lamellar beams made according to a primary warping coinciding with the same nodes. A continuous concrete slab forms the support base for the whole building and in particular for the wood panels that will be secured with bolted plates. Suitable waterproofing is provided for all of the wood panels to ensure the maximum life of the panel and the outer panels are separated from the ground to avoid deterioration of the material itself.
The building is designed according to the current Casaclima Directive, which seeks to not have an entirely orthodox and normal linear passive design from northern Italy, but to test a new paradigm adapted to climate-function circumstances. Considering that in Catania there is warm weather throughout the year. Monitoring excessive heat in the summer predominates compared to the problem of heating in the winter. Therefore it was decided to reverse the usual exposures placing the service areas on the south and habitable zones to the north, featuring sides that maximize solar gains and ventilation. The building was divided into four performance areas: long-term residential areas, transit and activity areas, technical zones and areas for physical activities.
Each area has different needs and peculiarities that can establish synergies between them. The residential and long-term stay areas such as the residences, offices, kitchen and library have been grouped into three compact blocks. They have good sun/ventilation ratios, highly insulated with fiber panels of wood or cork chosen by the Director of Works and equipped with advanced active climate control systems such as radiant floors (hot/cold) centralized heat recovery. The blocks are turned to the north to receive constant diffused light and never direct sunlight that would be excessive much of the year. This allows for large windows to be opened without heavily obscuring facades and to better enjoy the view of the park.
The residential blocks are connected by a continuous space located to the south that widens at the laboratory and reception area. This space is completely made of glass and fitted with seven right angles and is set back 1.7 meters with respect to the edge of the building. It acts as a real greenhouse even in the winter, while in the summer the formation of the seven angles and the protrusion do not allow sunlight to enter. When opened it allows cross ventilation that cools all environments.
In winter the stone covered floor accumulates heat that is gradually released during the day. This environment will not need a large energy intake and therefore will greatly cut maintenance costs, as well as, it preheats the incoming air in the residential blocks. The passive system heating and cooling systems will only need to be supplimented to cover peak cold temperatures.
Between the previous two areas are the service areas that support the residential areas. These prefabricated blocks contain all thermo electrical facilities necessary for building operation, allowing the installation cost and materials used to be reduced.
Only the ducts for the light fixtures to the LED technology and their controls will remain in view. All electrical systems will pass under the pavement, which is the only structural element to be implemented on site and therefore susceptible to change without extra cost.
The single floor design makes stairs and elevators unnecessary. All nodes of thermal bridges have been resolved and will then be verified by dynamic analysis. The insulation, coatings and paintwork used are designed to improve the thermal capacity of the walls as much as possible regarding phase shift and dampening behavior of the packages in summer. The slab foundation has bottom and side insulation in expanded clay, so as to minimize dissipation and thermal bridges.
The covering is made of metal components and allows for roof ventilation. Due to its white color, it is possible to take advantage of the albedo effect where no solar-photovoltaic-thermal systems are located. This reduces the internal temperatures by about 2-3 degrees.
Rainwater recovery and the use of non-toxic flooring materials (linoleum and adobe tiles) and finishes (clay plasters and distempers) frame the intervention as sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The multipurpose space is subject to the same principles as the connecting environments, being insulated and permeable for constant use throughout the year. The division into blocks allows for heating rooms by zones. For example, at night only thermally autonomous residence areas will be heated, during the day by taking advantage of the contributions and buildup from the large greenhouse kitchens and relaxation areas. Air conditioning will only operate when necessary. The compact bathrooms will always maintain a constant temperature.
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