📌 Summary
An international team led by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and Park Associati has been selected to design the redevelopment project for the Spedali Civili hospital campus in Brescia, Italy. The new design is based on reinterpreting the original radial master plan, with a focus on creating a healthy urban infrastructure through the One Health principle, which links human health, the environment, and social well-being. The plan reflects the integration of therapeutic, educational, and research spaces, as well as elements of sustainability and green architecture, in order to modernize the hospital facilities and make them more connected to the city and nature.
🏗️ Project background and urban significance
The Spedali Civili di Brescia hospital carries an architectural legacy rooted in the pioneering radial engineering design introduced by engineer Angelo Bordoni in the early 20th century. The new project seeks to reactivate this historic plan, while preserving its constants and developing it to align with contemporary healthcare models.
The hospital campus master plan extends in a hexagonal form with a radial distribution, providing an organizational system that enables easy movement and future expansion. The plan includes reorganizing the hospital environment to encourage integration between the medical facility and the surrounding urban context, strengthening its role as a public infrastructure connected to the city.
🏙️ The new design concept: CareRing as an integrated structure
The design is based on the CareRing concept; a physical ring and green spaces surrounding the hospital, representing a direct link between people, the environment, and healthcare. This ring is not only a circulation corridor, but an infrastructure that includes logistics and technical facilities, with clear separation and smooth operational flow.
At ground level, CareRing turns into public spaces combining courtyards, therapeutic gardens, and green pathways. These spaces were designed in collaboration with landscape design experts at Openfabric with the aim of:
- Enhancing biodiversity
- Improving the site’s local climate
- Connecting the hospital with the surrounding city and supporting community interaction
📐 Spatial organization of the buildings
The main hospital consists of three interconnected wings following the radial layout, allowing functional clarity and smooth movement. The design includes:
- A continuous glass lobby overlooking a new public square, opening the hospital to the city
- Wing ends designed as winter gardens with glass facades, reducing the feeling of enclosure
- Reorganization of clinical services to reduce travel distances and improve operational continuity
These initiatives apply the principles of Healing Architecture, with an emphasis on the quality of natural light, acoustic comfort, balanced spatial proportions, and visual connection to the mountain landscapes surrounding the Brescia area.
🧱 Structure and construction techniques
Both the main hospital and the pediatric hospital rely on a hybrid wood-and-steel structure assembled using Dry Construction techniques that provide flexibility to adapt to future changes in medical technologies and care systems.
This structural solution aims to reduce the carbon footprint and speed up project completion, while maintaining high standards of quality and sustainability.
🌿 Sustainability and connection with nature
Sustainability lies at the heart of the project, as areas formerly used for parking, roofs, and courtyards are transformed into productive urban gardens that support:
- Biodiversity
- Renewable energy sources
- Opportunities for informal social interaction
This strategy aligns with the One Health concept, which promotes human health by supporting the environment and the social dimension.
🏥 Pediatric hospital design
The pediatric hospital consists of three cylindrical volumes of varying heights, interspersed with internal carpets and courtyards. The entrance is organized around a central double-height lobby that creates a protected social space including play and consultation areas within a safe and comfortable environment.
📊 Integrating smart technologies into the design
The plans include developing a smart system for guiding visitors, managing movement flow, and environmental and technical monitoring that improves daily operations inside the hospital, contributing to a reengineering of workflows in line with the needs of modern care.
🛠️ Integration with research and education on campus
The project is closely connected with the University of Brescia through strengthened collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, as historic buildings are gradually transformed into educational, academic, and research spaces that enhance the link between medical institutions and the academic community.
This integration is embodied in a comprehensive plan that combines education, scientific research, and medical training within the same campus, making the hospital a more vibrant and innovative environment.
🌍 Global context and similar experiences
This project resonates with recent global trends in healthcare facility design that integrate the natural environment within health spaces, such as the Renzo Piano Building Workshop project for Hôpital Universitaire Saint-Ouen in Paris, which includes an urban forest and a rooftop garden.
Initiatives such as a health center design in Burundi by Kéré Architecture are also mentioned, relying on local materials and sustainable community-based construction techniques.
These projects reflect a global shift in the philosophy of healthcare institution design, which is no longer isolated from its surroundings but interacts with urban life, nature, and research.
🏁 The conclusion
The redevelopment project for the Spedali Civili di Brescia hospital campus shows how architecture and urban vision can combine history and sustainability by updating the original radial plan to meet future healthcare challenges.
The adoption of One Health principles, the use of hybrid construction techniques, and the design of therapeutic environments connected to the city and nature establish a future that redefines hospitals as vital infrastructures shared by the entire community.
This model represents an important step in developing healthcare facilities in ways that contribute to improving the quality of life for patients, staff, and visitors, while strengthening the sustainable relationship between people and the urban environment.
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