Tradition and modernity in upgrading the new "Meyer" Children Hospital in Florence

The article intends to illustrate the methodology and the design experience by which the architectural team (C.S.P.E.--Florence + Anshen and Allen--San Francisco) has succeeded in satisfying the competition requirements proposing a balanced combination of a totally new block strictly integrated with the upgraded existing building. Specific emphasis has been attributed to the environmental performances of interior and exterior spaces in order to create a facility characterized by "children dimension". The presence of a monumental garden area, all around the building, has been used as a generator-input of the functional organization and, in this sense, has resulted particularly successful for the Public Client Organization.