Carlo Ratti Associati Unveils “Hospital of the Future” Featuring a Kilometer-Long Garden Ring in Brescia

TITLE: Carlo Ratti Associati Unveils “Hospital of the Future” Featuring a Kilometer-Long Garden Ring in Brescia
SLUG: carlo-ratti-associati-hospital-future-brescia
EXCERPT: Carlo Ratti Associati and Park Associati have designed a new hospital campus in Brescia, Italy, centered around a unique kilometer-long garden ring that integrates healthcare with landscape and public spaces.
CATEGORY: Architecture News
TAGS: Carlo Ratti Associati, Park Associati, Healthcare Architecture, Sustainable Design, Urbanism, Italy
SEO_TITLE: Carlo Ratti Associati Designs “Hospital of the Future” with Kilometer-Long Garden Ring in Brescia
SEO_DESCRIPTION: Discover the innovative “Hospital of the Future” project by Carlo Ratti Associati and Park Associati in Brescia, Italy, featuring a distinctive kilometer-long garden ring and a focus on integrating nature with healthcare.
MEDIA_QUERY: Aerial view of a modern hospital campus with extensive green spaces and a prominent garden ring.
IMAGE_ALT: A visualization of the “Hospital of the Future” campus in Brescia, showcasing a kilometer-long garden ring encircling the main buildings.

Carlo Ratti Associati, in collaboration with Park Associati and Politecnica Building for Humans, has unveiled a visionary design for the new Main Hospital and Children’s Hospital of ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Italy. The project, selected through an international design competition, reimagines the existing hospital campus as a civic landscape that deeply integrates medical treatment with research, natural environments, and public accessibility.

Por que importa

The design draws inspiration from the early twentieth-century masterplan by Angelo Bordoni, preserving its hexagonal core and radial layout. However, the new proposal extends this logic outward, organizing the Main Hospital into three connected wings that open towards the city and offer views of the surrounding Brescia Prealps. A fully glazed lobby at ground level faces a new public piazza, establishing a more visible and welcoming civic presence for the institution.

Emphasis within the hospital’s interior is placed on maximizing natural light, ensuring clear wayfinding, providing acoustic comfort, and framing views of the landscape. Patient rooms are designed to foster a connection with the outdoors, complemented by large, glazed winter gardens at the termination of each wing. These spaces serve as transitional zones between clinical areas and the external environment, softening the overall atmosphere. The facade’s design, developed with Eckersley O’Callaghan, aims to manage solar control and glare while maintaining a visually open aesthetic.

The Children’s Hospital is conceived as a distinct structure, characterized by rounded volumes of varying heights. Its design incorporates courtyards, terraces, and internal gardens to bring outdoor elements into direct contact with medical departments. The entrance atrium is envisioned as a multi-functional space for play areas, family consultations, and gathering spots, catering specifically to the needs of young patients and their families. This geometric approach provides the building with a unique identity within the campus, offering spaces that are more intuitively understood at a child’s scale.

A central and defining feature of the proposal is the “CareRing,” a continuous route spanning over one kilometer around the campus. This element serves a dual purpose: below ground, it efficiently organizes logistics, services, and technical flows, keeping them separate from clinical circulation; at ground level, it transforms into a vibrant green system comprising squares, therapeutic gardens, and public pathways. Designed in partnership with Openfabric, the CareRing aims to seamlessly connect the hospital with the city, while simultaneously enhancing local biodiversity and improving the microclimate.

The new hospital buildings will be constructed using a hybrid timber and steel structure, employing dry construction techniques. This approach is intended to reduce embodied carbon and allow for future adaptability as medical technologies evolve. A digital layer, developed by DOTDOTDOT, will be integrated to assist with wayfinding, manage patient flow, and monitor environmental conditions, all while ensuring that technology enhances rather than dominates the architectural experience. The design prioritizes the movement, light, landscape, and overall legibility of the campus, ensuring that the technical systems support, rather than detract from, the healing environment.

Construction for the new facilities is anticipated to commence in 2028. The completed campus will consolidate clinical and technological functions across approximately 60,500 square meters, accommodating over 745 beds. This project signifies a forward-thinking approach to healthcare design, viewing the hospital not just as a place of treatment, but as an integral part of the urban fabric and a contributor to the well-being of both patients and the surrounding community.

Key facts
| Feature | Detail |
|—|—|
| Project Name | Hospital of the Future, new Main Hospital and Children’s Hospital of ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia |
| Lead Architects | CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, Park Associati, Politecnica Building for Humans |
| Location | Brescia, Italy |
| Key Design Element | Kilometer-long “CareRing” garden and public route |
| Construction Start | Expected in 2028 |

This development is significant for Paionia7 readers as it showcases a leading architectural firm’s innovative approach to healthcare facilities, merging advanced technology with biophilic design principles. The integration of extensive green spaces, public access, and a focus on the patient experience offers a compelling model for future urban development in the healthcare sector.

Source: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/garden-ring-carlo-ratti-hospital-future-park-associati-brescia-italy/

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