Our task was to modernise and complete a two-storey hospital pavilion in Melzo. We were asked to design clinical laboratories and a morgue. The extremely diverse requirements of these two additions strongly influenced our definition of the interiors and the composition of the architectural masses.
A slightly sloping path in the garden leads to a hypogeal area where the entrance to the morgue is situated.
This open space blends with the surrounding greenery and provides a moment of quiet for those in mourning.
The mezzanine floor hosts the clinical labs, which are connected to the hospital through internal passageways.
The building’s shell is made of perforated sheets of COR-TEN steel which limit the natural light. The different sized, unsymmetrical openings and the facade’s unusual shape contrast with the rigorous symmetry of the rest of the hospital buildings, visible in the background.
Our choice of COR-TEN steel was linked to its evolution over time, to its shade of colour and to the warm tones it gradually acquires.
Photos by Michele Nastasi
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