Designing Community Houses – Application of the modular approach to an innovative model of facility

Authors

  • Riccardo Pollo Polytechnic University of Torino (Italy)
  • Elisa Biolchini Polytechnic University of Torino (Italy)
  • Valeria Scognamiglio Architect

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19229/2464-9309/14192023

Keywords:

community house, Italian national recovery and resilience plan, flexibility, modular design, social and health care

Abstract

The modular approach is widely used in architecture, and simplifying complex structures to enhance flexibility is one of the many reasons for choosing the module as a design tool, particularly in healthcare construction. This article presents an applied research project where modularity is employed in designing Community Houses, i.e. particular local socio-health structures introduced by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Functional schemes, developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals from a Piedmontese Local Health Authority (ASL), ensure different configurations of elementary spatial units. The paper aims to understand, through experimentation, the effectiveness and potential of the modular approach in implementing these new local socio-health services, analysing their background, application, and results.

 

Article info

Received: 15/09/2023; Revised: 03/10/2023; Accepted: 04/11/2023

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Author Biographies

Riccardo Pollo, Polytechnic University of Torino (Italy)

He is an Associate Professor of Architectural Technology at Dipartimento Interateneo di Scienze, Progetto e Politiche del Territorio (DIST); he conducts research on environmental design at the urban and architectural scales with a focus on sustainability and the effects on people’s health and well-being. He develops studies with public entities and territorial authorities on the quality of the urban environment and the design of social and healthcare facilities.
E-mail: riccardo.pollo@polito.it

Elisa Biolchini, Polytechnic University of Torino (Italy)

She is an Architect and PhD Candidate at the Dipartimento Interateneo di Scienze, Progetto e Politiche del Territorio; she is mainly involved in research in the field of humanisation of health spaces, hospital design and social and health services. She also conducts her research on Healthy City issues and physical, psychological and social well-being related to the quality of indoor and outdoor spaces.
E-mail: elisa.biolchini@polito.it

Valeria Scognamiglio, Architect

She is a collaborator at a Professional Architecture and Landscape Firm; she has been researching care spaces and criteria and practices for the co-design of sociomedical spaces for the network of proximity territorial services with applications to the territory of the Piedmont Region, delving into organisational and typological schemes of the garrisons.
E-mail: valeria.scogna@gmail.com

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Published

31-12-2023

How to Cite

Pollo, R., Biolchini, E. and Scognamiglio, V. (2023) “Designing Community Houses – Application of the modular approach to an innovative model of facility”, AGATHÓN | International Journal of Architecture, Art and Design, 14, pp. 224–235. doi: 10.19229/2464-9309/14192023.