P11
Pavilion 11 is part of a larger masterplan established in 1884 to accommodate the Neuropsychiatric Hospital of Bergamo, designed by the well-known local architect Elia Fornoni. The facility will be repurposed to the critical mission of delivering comprehensive therapeutic treatment for mental distress and disorders that typically manifest during adolescence, with dedicated care for eating disorders. The exterior interventions are characterized by a commitment to preserving the authentic architectural features of the original building. On the front facade, the restoration effort focuses on reinstating the three original arches, while at the rear of the building significant change involves the removal of the 1950s concrete extension to create space for an enclosed garden, a hortus conclusus.
The approach to interior spaces is rooted in the WHO’s statement that Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Are we sure that a school or a hospital only needs desks and chairs or rooms, beds and medical equipment? What would happen if a space characterised by a dominant-negative function, such as a place of care, alluded to a sphere of pleasure rather than to the expected one?
The project is guided by an understanding of how the brain processes information, encoding discontinuities, not uniformity. By strategically integrating elements that deviate from conventional medical spaces, the aim is to create an environment that fosters a sense of familiarity and domesticity. The final interior arrangement is a careful balance of spaces and counter-spaces.
photos, images and drawings © MOTOR
Typology: Architecture, renovation
2023 - ongoing
Bergamo (Italy)
1570 m2
Collaborators: arch. Chiara Codoni, arch. Paola Belussi (dep studio), Silvia Baldis (facades restoration), arch. Angelica Moioli (safety), C-Spin (structural engineering), Studio Nani (HVAC), Studio elettrotecnico Guerini (electricity), Lux Fabrica Mario Morosini (lighting design), Studio Soning (acoustics), Fireing (fire prevention)