2 HEALTH, EDUCATION AND CULTURE HOSPITALS Have you ever been to hospital? If so, why? Have you ever seen TV medical dramas taking place in a hospital such as Grey s Anatomy or The Good Doctor? What do you think of them? Large hospitals, consisting of a thousand beds or more, emerged during the early 19th century in France when Napoleon established them to house his wounded soldiers from his many wars. Importance of health care Hospitalization is a necessary service that creates considerable stress due to some combination of reduced physical ability, pain, fear of medical procedures and uncertainty about future well-being. Research is showing that effective building design is especially important in hospitals to benefit patients, staff and patients families. Guidelines for a proper design Hospital architects have long used indications from engineering and other sciences to guide their work. Because hospitals have existed for a long time and are expensive to build and to operate, it is crucial to follow precise guidelines in designing them. Hospital design variables include nine categories: audio environment: sound-absorbing ceiling, walls and flooring, equipment noise, music; visual environment: natural light and nature views from windows; safety: air quality and ventilation, easy-to-clean surfaces, staff s visual access to patients; wayfinding: building access, signage, floor plans and the information desk; sustainability: energy-saving features, waste management and building materials; patient rooms: single or multi-bed rooms in separate female and male wards; family support spaces: comfortable waiting areas, an overnight bed in the patient's room, and outdoor gardens with seating; staff support spaces: nurse workstations, proximity of supplies and medicines, comfortable break areas, well-organized administrative offices; doctor support spaces: quality of meeting rooms and workstations, acoustics, lighting and temperature in operating theatres. to benefit: dare beneficio a due to: dovuto a fear: paura to operate: gestire pain: dolore signage: segnaletica supply: fornitura ward: reparto wayfinding: orientamento negli spazi well-being: benessere welcoming: accogliente workstation: postazione di lavoro 186 PUBLIC WORKS Cost considerations Cost considerations are crucial because they may help decision-makers choose whether to build or renovate a hospital that can be safer and less stressful for patients, more welcoming to families, improving the quality of work of the staff and the environmental sustainability. Hospitals will never be places that patients enjoy, but a good design can make them feel better.