'A. Meyer' Hospital

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Owner	Meyer Hospital firm
Original purpose	Pavilions for tuberculosis patients
Framework	reinforced concrete and brick work
Plan	Triple Pavilions building – rectangular shape
Roof	Hip roof – wooden structure - tiles

Before Refurbishment
The Meyer Hospital was founded in 1884 and is the oldest children’s hospital in the country. The listed character of the building and its function as a hospital administration building proved challenging in terms of design opportunities.

At the start of 1900, in Florence, a discussion about the necessity of a new hospital building began and a suitable area was located on the hills around Careggi. In 1910, the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova bought the Careggi estate, to build a subsidiary hospital. The 1912 works to built Villa Ognissanti started from the first pavilions to admit tuberculosis patients. The construction went on during 1920s, to finish in 1936.

The Villa Ognissanti complex consists of several buildings located inside a park and were not in use before the construction of the new Meyer Hospital. The three pavilions, East, West, and central wing, are oriented East-West axis and consist of three-storey buildings.

Objectives of the refurbishment
The overall objective of the Meyer project is to demonstrate how a holistic approach to the internal and exterior refurbishment of existing offices can provide an energy efficient working environment, with also the inclusion of some new extension (the green house used as general hall and the new staircases and elevator units).

The main design purposes are to ensure the best possible integration of the energy, ecology and sustainability aspects into the architectural retrofitting design of the proposed office building so as to form an architectural whole, as well as eliminating conflicting strategies and facilitate proper operation.

Moreover, the project aims to optimise the integration as well as the efficiency of the energy, sustainability and ecological systems and techniques in the proposed building in order to achieve the maximum possible energy conservation as well as the best possible indoor environmental quality together with the adoption of the more sustainable options.

Refurbishment strategy

Fabric improvements

Prior to refurbishment, the building had composite, masonry external walls made from traditional stonework and tile, with U-value over 3 W/m² K. After refurbishment, insulation was added to the roof, reducing the U-value from 5.5 W/m²K to 0.427 W/m²K and to the walls, reducing the U-value to 2.098 W/m²K. The insulating panels are made from natural materials that do not contain additives and adhesives. Windows and doors were weather stripped to reduce infiltration.

Solar Gain Control and Glazing

All windows were replaced with double glazed panels, with UV film applied to reduce the glare effect on the work stations. External Venetian blinds were used to control incoming solar glare whilst preserving the appearance of the building.

Lighting

Energy efficient lighting with daylight compensation features was specified.

Heating and cooling

A new heating system was installed, consisting of 2 condensation boilers, 1 high efficiency boiler and 2 electrical chillers for space heating and cooling, plus 1 electrical chiller to produce domestic hot water. A greenhouse was constructed in front of the central pavilion, to host the main reception and some administrative offices. This was designed to reduce energy consumption for heating during the winter by acting as a buffer space, to minimize heat losses, and also increases natural ventilation through a stack effect, reducing cooling demand and energy costs. A HVAC plant equipped with a heat recovery system was installed.

Meyer Hospital greenhouse

Ventilation

Ventilation is predominantly through a new mechanical ventilation system, with fresh air delivered through air treatment units. The system is set to cool and dehumidify at 22^oC, this is dictated by national standards for ventilation in hospital offices.

Trickle vents have been specified on windows to allow infiltration. External louver shutters provide solar shading.

Innovative technologies

• Intelligent windows equipped with special manually open grids, located in the lower side of the windows frame that assure an air flow and a cross ventilation between windows located on the main facades (front and back)

• Windows frame equipped with internal shading blinds operated by a magnetic device and activated by a lighting sensor, regarding to the lighting level variations inside the room.

The Completed Building


The greenhouse with the integrated PV modules


PVC curtain system sliding in aluminium guides installed on the window frames

CO₂ impact of Meyer Hospital

The Meyer Hospital building now has high user satisfaction. The occupants identify with the building, and enjoy the fact that they are in a traditional building (with all the attractive advantages of high thermal mass, many windows, etc) which has modern features. The improved air quality seems to have stimulated employee productivity. The greenhouse generates good PR for visitors arriving at buildings, since it is the first thing they see. It is also beneficial in providing extra heat for offices facing it. However, it does reduce daylight to these offices and will be the probable cause of overheating in some offices during warm weather.

The night ventilation system has worked well for this building. During summer in Florence, there is generally little wind, therefore natural ventilation would not have been as successful in this environment. The night ventilation proves an acceptable compromise and reduces the load on the daytime mechanical ventilation.

Papers and Publications

The Meyer Hospital team have carried out a wide range of activities to generate publicity for the project. An extensive list of articles has been produced on all aspects of the project, these have been published in technical journals, topical magazines and in the national press. They have also set up an Italian version of the REVIVAL website which focuses on the Meyer Hospital works. Meyer Hospital will host a special event on the future of healthcare architecture, in the refurbished office area, as part of the 28^th International Public Health seminar, to be held in Florence from 22^nd-26^th June 2008.

· World Renewable Energy Congress IX and Exhibition, Florence August 19 –25, 2006:‘How to improve energy efficiency in existing traditional building - The case study of the new offices of Meyer Hospital’Paola Gallo, Giovanna Di Stefano

· Energy saving strategies for the new Meyer Children’s hospital in Florence, poster presented at the 2004 ISES Summer Academy in Rome

· Bioclimatic strategies for the restoration of old buildings – the REVIVAL project, proceedings of ABITA National Meeting “I percorsi della progettazione per la sostenibilità ambientale” carried out in Florence 20-21 October 2004

· Energy Saving Strategies for the New Design Meyer Children Hospital in Florence, paper presented at the 4th World Congress on Design and Health, Frankfurt July 6-10 2005 by Marco Sala, Antonella Trombadore and Giuseppina Alcamo

· Dov’è architettura, article for architectural magazine “Energia Solare – FV” n°3 2004

· Fotovoltaico e progetto, article for architectural magazine “Costruire – Dossier n°255 September 2004

· Modernissimo e non invadente ecco l’ospedale “mimetizzato, article for La Republica magazine, February 2005

· Le Nouvel Hopital Pediatrique Meyer a Florence, Romano del Nord, article published in Hospital, February 2005

· Nuovo Ospedale Meyer, article published in Opere, February 2005

· Comfort improvement in the Meyer Hospital, paper presented at the 4th World Congress on Design and Health, Frankfurt July 6-10 2005 by Paola Gallo

· Lo Stress Ambientale Nel Progretto Dell’ospedale Pediatrico, Romano del Nord, published in Motta Ed. Milano, 2006

· How to improve energy efficiency in existing traditional buildings - The case study of the new offices of Meyer Hospital, World Renewable Energy Congress IX and Exhibition, Florence August 19 –25, 2006: http://www.revival-eu.net/docs/ANNEX_I.pdfPaola Gallo, Giovanna Di Stefano

· Funzionale ma anche bello l’ “ospedalino” è cresciuto, article for La Republica magazine, March 2006

· Ospedale Sostenibile, Christina Donati, published in Progettare per la Sanita, August 2006

· La mostra per “fare e rifare” la tua casa, article for “Habitando” magazine September 2006

· Ospedale Meyer di Firenze – Energia E Transparenza, Giuseppe La Franca, published in Il Nuovo Cantiere, September 2006

· Realizzato a Firenze con innovative soluzioni e tecnologie biocompatibili. Il nuovo Meyer ospedale pediatrico del futuro, Habitando Fortezza da Basso, October 2006

· A new House for Europe’s Children. The new MEYER hospital in Florence introduces itself to Brussels, article by Dr. Paolo Morello, Arch. Giulio Felli, October 2006

· L’Innovazione tecnologica dalla ricerca alla realizzazione, Cristina Donati, CSPE Electa Editore, Milano, 2007

· Polo Pediatrico Meyer, Giuseppe La Franca, published in Tecnica Ospedaliera, January 2007

· Verso un Ospedale sostenibile, Pierluigi Altea, Tecnica Ospedaliera, July 2007

· Ospedale a colori, Cristina Donati, AND 09, August 2007

· Questo ospedale e un albergo, article published in a+d+m, Giovanni Damele, September 2007

· Fotovoltaico Integrato, Elena Magarotto, Nuova Finestra, October 2007

· Sustainable Heathcare Architecture, Robin Guenther, Gail Vittori, Wiley and Sons pg 316, 2008

· Meyer Children’s Hospital, Dylan Siegler, to be published by Wiley and Sons