Polyclinic Milan
A story of integration and healing through science and nature.
The New Polyclinic in Milan by Stefano Boeri Architects (2018) is important, not just for its patients, doctors and nurses, but for the city as a whole. It is one of Milan’s main hospitals, situated in the historic centre – a building designed to connect to history and the wider community. And with all its modern technology and healing methods, it is also a building in touch with nature. Integration is key; and so is harmony, which finds expression in a colour palette of greys, white and greens.
In visual terms, the tallest elements are characterised by a pattern of geometric modules in three shades of grey, with metal window frames and elements of the façade coated in a dark grey colour (code: AE20007377821 RAL 7021 BLACK GREY) that was specially developed by Axalta, using a bespoke twenty-five per cent of gloss to create the product. Ten tons of powder coating were used in the new building, a quantity of grey that seems to exemplify a rigid, almost severe architecture.
However, there is another interpretation, reflected in the polyclinic’s most beautiful features. Forming part of the rectilinearpattern are panels of coloured glass which soften and lighten the reys with the juxtaposition of green, and respond to the changing natural light conditions. The glass also connects to the more gentle, lower building, with its “second skin” of perforated and folded sheet metal. Coated in white, this conceals the windows that open on the internal façade, like a protective fabric providing sanctuary and healing.
At the top, a wealth of luxurious green is visible from the street, transforming the impression and blending divisions within the city. The Polyclinic Roof Garden, conceived as “urban forestry” and spanning 7,000sqm, provides therapeutic health benefits, primarily for patients and health workers, but is also open on occasion to the public, for special events. An internal “rehabilitation garden” completes this focus on nature’s role in healing.
