Leader: Nicoletta Setola (UNIFI). Other collaborators: Elena Bellini (UNIFI)
This task develops evaluation and monitoring frameworks and tools for the health promoting buildings in the primary health facilities provided by the new territorial socio-health reform (Houses of the Community and Community Hospitals) and the related neighborhoods, aimed at maximizing, through the physical environment and the integration of AI, the population healthy behaviors for the prevention of chronic diseases. The task aims to define design guidelines and strategies for the improvement of the physical environment at the facility and neighborhood scale according to an approach that favors the integration of physical, digital, organizational networks to promote the process of healthy and active aging for the urban communities and individuals.
We provided a report with the results of the analysis of 37 case studies. We collected 37 sheets in two main categories:
As a result of the case studies analysis we defined some spatial and environmental inputs to be discussed with healthcare professionals and experts.
We organised materials for the co-design phase, such as tools to favour the discussion, sketches and drawings to present the different layouts of welcome and waiting areas, sheets to present examples and inspirations by case studies to be applied in the context of CdC.
A meeting with Andrea Ungar (as expert in Gerontology) was arranged to develop a collaboration with task 5.5, WP 5, Spoke 3 in the co-design phase.
A meet was organised with Lorena Rossi (Inrca, task 5 in WP 1, spoke 9), her collaborators and Marta Mondellini (CNR, task 6 in Wp1, spoke 9) to plan the co-design phase. Some interviews will be developed both, in Ancona and Bergamo, with healthcare professionals to discuss the design concepts as described above. On the 16th and 17h of April we will be hosted by Inrca in Ancona to do the first interviews.
We have written the paper “Sensory Design in healthcare welcome spaces for active and healthy ageing“ which was accepted for publishing in conference proceedings and will be presented (oral presentation) at ARCH24 - “effects of design on health and wellbeing” congress in Helsinki, helded on the 16-19th of June 2024.
We have presented the abstract “Sensory healthcare environments to promote healthy aging” which was accepted for an oral presentation at Age-it general meeting 2024 in Venice
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications:
With respect to the expected results of the research activities of Task 1.2, the implications for policies on ageing concern the promotion of interventions for the integration of physical environment and digital objects in the welcome spaces of the building to promote healthy and active ageing in social-health care facilities.
The expected results aim at defining guidelines that address the design of the waiting spaces of the Case della Comunità in accordance with the directives expressed by the territorial health care reform made by the Ministry of Health (DM77/2022) and the policies in the European context that support the Health Promotion (2024 EU4Health Programme).
Explaining the needs of end-users requires industry to develop devices and furnishings adaptable to different types of spatial configurations and different types of illnesses.
In this direction, the expected impact is to implement a closer collaboration between industries and designers to realise product-technology system solutions that are more effective from the point of view of integrating technological performance, performance related to health promotion through physical activity, and performance related to sensory stimuli to improve cognitive abilities.
Concerning the implications on architectural design practice, the proposed guidelines aim at making explicit, in the preliminary design phases of CdCs, the requirements that enable a more effective use of spaces and the performances that waiting spaces must fulfil to promote active and healthy ageing of the population.
Please see the next reporting period.
The activities of Task 1.2 focused on three main topics:
Guidelines for waiting spaces in primary care to promote active and healthy ageing (Milestone 24) were defined.
The Guidelines are organised according to general strategies to promote health through building spaces:
These strategies have been translated into action and sub-action to be used in the design process of waiting spaces, according to different areas of intervention.
Design sheets have been identified with specific solutions that describe space requirements for welcoming and health promoting waiting spaces and the integration of digital technologies for healthy and active ageing.
The Guidelines have been applied in a virtual prototype (VR), in collaboration with STIIMA -CNR (Task 1.6), IRCCS INRCA (Task 1.5) e UNICATT (Task 2.3), and in a physical prototype developed in a CdC in Florence.
The final 3d model of the virtual prototype has been developed. Many meetings have been carried out with STIIMA -CNR (Task 1.6) to develop the virtual model.
A physical prototype of a health promoting waiting space has been developed in the Casa della Comunità Le Piagge (CdC) in Florence, as the researchers had the opportunity to work on a project of improvement of the waiting spaces of the facility, in agreement with the local AUSL. The project was developed by applying the Guidelines, through co-design sessions with healthcare professionals of CdC. The researchers were also collaborating with GM Engineering to integrate new design strategies in the actual executive project of the new waiting spaces and on the building site to realize the first architectural interventions.
The project deals with waiting spaces to promote health by active waiting time. Physical activity and mental wellbeing will be promoted in the corridor area with two technological stations to interact with people: health promotion information will be provided; physical movement and self-fitness assessments will be favored by some interactive games; cognitive training will be encouraged, also to prevent chronic diseases. Relax and comfort will be promoted in the sensory room, by providing a welcoming and comfortable area to make people feel safe and calm, adapting the sensory environment by automation technology and positively distracting by watching videos or listening to music, etc. Socialisation will be encouraged by sharing sensory experiences and using movable furniture for all. Nature and restoration will be provided in the outdoor area which overlooks the garden of CdC.
The co-design phase with healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers, in collaboration with IRCCS INRCA (Task 1.5), has been completed in INRCA outpatients Department. The researchers were also completing interviews to MMG in CdC Le Piagge and have started the interviews with patients and caregivers in CdC Le Piagge and CdC Morgagni in Florence.
A final model of questionnaire for users and caregivers has also been developed, in collaboration with IRCCS INRCA (Task 1.5), that is going to be submitted both in Ancona and Florence, in the next months.
The Design Guidelines have been applied in a physical prototype in the Casa della Comunità Le Piagge (CdC) in Florence. The executive project has been developed in these months, in collaboration with GM Engineering, and the realisation is started. Special furniture and interactive technologies have also been designed to support healthy and active ageing. We started collaborating with Neos Studio Srl for the development of the furniture for the different waiting spaces. Executive drawings and 3d models have been developed to support this phase of the process. The software for the two sensory rooms have been developed in collaboration with DU IT srl and will be installed as soon as the architectural interventions are finished. A software for cognitive training and physical activity is going to be developed in collaboration with the local AUSL and the staff of the CdC (GPs).
The co-design phase with healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers has been completed. Questionnaires for users and caregivers have been distributed in IRCCS INRCA facilities.
Meetings with STIIMA - CNR (Task 1.6) have been also carried out to define the virtual model and to discuss its validation, also in collaboration with IRCCS INRCA (Task 1.5).
During these months we were also focusing on the dissemination of the results, programming the publication of the Design Guidelines and the publication of two main papers: a first one about the scientific process and methodologies used to get Guidelines from our research study about waiting spaces for active and healthy ageing; a second one about the co-design process in collaboration with IRCCS INRCA (Task 1.5).
Scientific publications
Dissemination Events and Awards