title: Social sustainability in healthcare facilities: a rating tool for analysing and improving social aspects in environments of care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nowadays several rating systems exist for the evaluation of the sustainability of buildings, but often their focus is limited to environmental and efficiency aspects. Hospitals are complex constructions in which many variables affect hospital processes. Therefore, a research group has developed a tool for the evaluation of sustainability in healthcare facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The paper analyses social sustainability issues through a tool which evaluates users' perception from a the quality and well-being perspective. It presents a hierarchical structure composed of a criteria and indicators system which is organised through a weighing system calculated by using the Analytic Network Process.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The output is the definition of a tool which evaluates how Humanisation, Comfort and Distribution criteria can affect the social sustainability of a building.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Starting from its application, it is evident that the instrument enables the improvement of healthcare facilities through several design and organisational suggestions for achieving healing and sustainable architectures.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capolongo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gola
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: di Noia
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nickolova
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nachiero
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebecchi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Ambiente e Connessa Prevenzione Primaria, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Settimo
authors.affiliation: Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vittori
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buffoli
mesh_terms: D004779:Environment Design; D005160:Facility Design and Construction / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000191:economics; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D000070659:Patient Comfort; D012931:Social Environment