A Circular Volume Enclosed by Woven Strips
IaN+ has designed an expressive, single-story circular structure for the new reception building of the Ospedale del Mare (Hospital of the Sea) in Naples. The delicately layered façade in marine colors avoids the sterile, rather unwelcoming appearance so many of us are accustomed to in hospital buildings.
The new reception areas of the Ospedale del Mare in Naples by the architecture firm IaN+ were opened in March 2015. A new public square links the city to the hospital and the new reception area distributes access and service functions around a bright, sunlit entrance hall.
The project was developed by IaN+ using the hospital guidelines drawn up by Renzo Piano in 2001. The layout plan specified a reception area that would accommodate the psychological well-being of patients, their relatives, and staff. The low-slung, curved building refers to a public piazza and integrates various reception services, as well as a system of circulation routes providing access to the hospital. Project architect Luca Galofaro says, “It’s an important project for us and I think it will be for the city of Naples, too.”
IaN+ has clearly demarcated the new reception area with their unusual, curved design and woven exterior surfaces clad with colored panels of Swisspearl fiber-reinforced concrete and glass. The entire three-story volume is bathed in light that filters through the curtain of glass imbued with blue and green tones, echoing the ocean, which the building is situated alongside of. When the sunshine reflects off the cladding, the faceted façade shimmers like the scales of a fish and when the building lights up at night, it resembles the watery colors of an aquarium.
Want to find out more about this project?
You can find a detailed report including drawings in the Swisspearl Architecture magazine 26. Subscribe to our magazine to get the printed issue or download the PDF in the download center of our website.
NICE TO KNOW
Object
Ospedale del Mare, Naples, Italy
Location
Via Enrico Russo, Naples, Italy
Client
ASL Napoli 1 Centro, Naples
Architects
IaN+, Rome; Carmelo Baglivo, Luca Galofaro, Stefania Manna
Photos
Meraner & Hauser, Bozen, Italy
Building period
2013 – 2015
General contractor
P. F. P. Partenopea finanza di progetto S. c. p. a., Naples
Façade construction
Giuliani Soc. Coop, Forli
Façade material
Swisspearl Carat Azurite 7041, 7042, 7043 and Jade 7050, 7051, 7052
PDF project sheet
Click here to download the project sheet
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