MATERIALS AND FINISHES IN MEDITERRANEAN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

The study analyses the influence on building energy demand for both cooling and heating of different insulation values and window types. This analysis is based on the variations of the material elements of the envelope including insulation and on the gaseous matters related to airflows moving inside building spaces. This research aims at providing an early-provisional model to analyse the potential performances of a case study by also considering the further integration between ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) and the envelope design towards a sustainable building definition. During the research, a specific code was generated to parametrically control the input data flow used in dynamic-energy simulations and generate a performance-model based on variations of boundary conditions linked with the envelope thermal design. The paper includes the flowchart of the developed Python script able to integrate the energy-dynamic tool EnergyPlus with the performance-driven design approach mentioned above. Furthermore, it is reported a sample application considering a typical section of an office building localised in the climate of Torino-Caselle. The considered parameters are the thickness of the insulation layer, the type of considered window elements, and the activation of the controlled natural ventilation (on/off ). Moreover, a statistical analysis on the potential influence of the casual variation of occupation rates was also performed. The provisional analyses were generated by using polynomial regression models and a statistical-based choice of their feasibility.Every building material that is chosen affects both the natural environment and the built one. Healthcare facilities and more specifically hospitals are usually large buildings or big complexes of buildings that consume great amounts of energy and are often very expensive to operate and maintain. The choice of materials in modern hospitals is an issue of high importance and rather complicated as it is necessary to follow certain rules, restrictions and satisfy simultaneously many needs. Both the exterior and interior of hospitals are unique design fields for contemporary architects where their innovative ideas and revolutionary design thoughts can apply in combination with parameters such as technology, ecology (green design, sustainability, energy saving, recycling etc.), economy and aesthetics. Therefore according to the local climate and its characteristics the architectural design and the materials of the healthcare buildings should be carefully chosen in order to play a supporting role to the sustainability of the building. A rather interesting case for study is that of the Mediterranean climate due to its distinctive characteristics (e.g. renewable energy sources for building design) and to the choices of the materials (e.g. use of glass, metal, wood etc.) along with the architectural features of the healthcare buildings (e.g. large openings, terraces, atriums, balconies etc.). In this paper the important role of materials in healthcare facility design will be presented according to bibliography and through contemporary examples of hospitals from around the Mediterranean.