From former school, to the smart Emergency’s headquarters. A project by TAMassociati.

The Municipality of Milan has given one of its school buildings fallen into disuse, as long as it was used as common good. In just 14 months, Emergency – www.emergency.it – has created a space open to the public (to inform and encourage in citizens the values of peace, solidarity and human rights), and offices for the Ngo, all featuring white and red colors inspired by the famous corporate logo.

For the development of its headquarters, the charity could only engage a team of architects deeply caring of social issues, such as TAMassociati. Actually, the project was developed by non-architects, i.e. people who in-depth understood this kind of needs and goals. The new headquarter is called Casa Emergency (‘Emergency House’), just as a call to solidarity and welcome.

At the inauguration ceremony held on September 15th 2017, the founder Gino Strada called it a “place focused on culture and peace” and said by him, a person always involved in war zones, these aren’t rhetorical words at all.

Tamassociati –  www.tamassociati.org – is a team of designers including as legendary member architect Raul Pacheco, who has always collaborated for Emergency, in Italy and all over the world, in new buildings and renovations: “Designing common good is not the design itself, nor its concrete realization, but rather the expansion of the possibilities that individuals and groups recognize, use and, especially, see it as an element capable of generating other common goods“. TAMassociati had edited this same theme at 2016 Italy Pavilion at the architecture Biennale of Venice.

Casa Emergency is a large space located in via Santa Croce 19, in the Ticinese district of Milan: 3,600 sq.mt large internal area (split into 5 levels) and 2,300 sq.mt of exteriors; functional reuse also took into account energy efficiency. The internal layout reflects the organization’s mission: the first two floors are open to citizens (of all ages) for debates and events; while the last two are occupied by offices and used for the coordination of humanitarian activities, in Italy and abroad.

These are the other operation centers developed by Emergency with TAMassociati:

  • Salam Center, heart surgery, Khartoum, Sudan
  • Pediatric Healthcare Center, Bangui, Central African Republic
  • Pediatric Healthcare Centre, Nyala, Darfur, Sudan
  • Pediatric Healthcare Center, Port Sudan, Sudan
  • Health center, Marghera, Italy
  • Health center, Polistena, Italy
  • Health center, Ponticelli, Italy
  • Surgery centers for war refugees and asylum seekers, Sulaimaniya, Iraq
  • Surgical Center, Kabul, Afghanistan
  • New maternity Center, Anabah, Afghanistan

 

In pictures:

1 – the opening party of Casa Emergency, in Milan

2 – at the entrance, the inscription: all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (photo Marcello Bonfanti for TAMassociati)

3 – along the stairs are graphically shown the stages of Emergency, founded in 1994 (photo Marcello Bonfanti for TAMassociati)

4- Emergency’s open plan center of operations, at the upper floors (photo Marcello Bonfanti for TAMassociati)

5 – transparency and solidity, in both the humanitarian association and in the architectural interiors (photo: Marcello Bonfanti for TAMassociati)

6 – An operator of Emergency explains to a visitor the objectives of Casa Emergency and of the Association in General