THESIS

HOSPITALS ACOUSTIC COMFORT
HEALTH CARE FACILITIES SOUNDSCAPE

Author: Roberta Cassi
Supervisor: Prof. Stefano Capolongo
May 2016

As evidenced by the statement of Florence Nightingale, the noise in healthcare facilities is an issue of great importance since 1859:
“Unnecessary noise is the most cruel abuse of care which can be inflicted on either the sick or the well”
Hospitals are noisy environments and in many cases exceed the standard levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The increase in the use of technological equipment, the design, the fruition of the space and materials used are all factors that contribute to the continuous increase of noise levels, causing symptoms of “sick building syndrome” (SBS) to the people who attend the hospital. This term is used to describe generic health disorders, not attributable to a specific disease, perceptible only during the permanence inside a building or a portion of it affected by pollutants (for example, by noise).
Recordings made in hospitals report critical noise levels in environments with a high presence of people (main entrances, waiting rooms, emergency room) and especially in high intensity of care units (ICUs , neonatal wards, operating theaters).
Furthermore, on site recordings show that the most noisy environments are those of long permanence for patients and operators, and therefore of prolonged exposure to noise.
The increasing criticality and the effects of noise on the psycho-physical condition of people, indicate a need to identify parameters of control, reduction or, when possible, elimination of the noise levels, especially in facilities that should ensure the greatest possible healthy conditions both for patients and operators.
The purpose of this research is to understand the architect’s spatial and technical actions aimed to achieve the adequate soundscape in the hospital environment.

ACCESSABILITY
RETHINKING THE URBAN SPACE OF CITTA’ STUDI FOR WIDER POOL OF USERS

Authors: Roberta Cassi – Sonia Tosetti
Supervisor: Prof. Eugenio Morello
Co-supervisors: Proff Barbara Piga, Silvia Sbattella
July 2011

The aim of this thesis is to highlight the need for a design that takes into account right from the start a “wider range of users”, considering the diversity of people as a value and acknowledging the complexity of the characteristics and needs of individuals. An approach that emerges from a broad and unified vision leads to more effective interventions, as far as accessibility of public places is concerned, compared to point solutions, both executed in a particular space and time, which inevitably generate an absence of homogeneity. The project, officially presented by the Politecnico di Milano, of the Milano Città Studi area redevelopment is aimed at creating a “Sustainable Campus” and consists of interventions related to different disciplines, each of which should take into account the diversity of needs and users. This thesis is therefore proposed as a supplement to this broader redevelopment plan and pays particular attention to mobility, accessibility, and orientation of people with disabilities in the urban area where university structures are present. With this in mind, after an analysis focused on the accessibility of this area, we offer some examples of design solutions that meet the needs of people with mobility and visual disabilities, enhancing comfort and usability of the environment through physical interventions supported by instruments that take advantage of modern technology. The intention is not to create environments that are accessible, usable and comfortable for everyone, because such an aspiration would be an abstraction, as much as is the design geared at the “standard user”. In fact, in the design phase it is as incorrect to refer to an ideal of a person, that is a healthy adult of medium height and build, as it is impossible to believe that the project can meet the needs of any person; the aim is therefore more realistic, that of being able to meet most of the needs of a “wider pool of users” and respecting a broader range of diversity than that of the “standard user”.

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