Post-occupancy evaluation of emergency units in Florianópolis hospitals: recurring problems and possible solutions

Abstract The aim of this paper is to reflect on the spatial configuration of urgency and emergency units through the evaluation of six of them situated in public hospitals in the metropolitan area of Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. The methodology includes: literature review, exploratory visits and six case studies. In the case studies, the Walkthrough Analysis was applied via two comprehensive checklists, the first one concerning the minimum aspects necessary to the functioning of the unit and its environment, and the second one concerning its environmental human scale. The two checklists totalled nearly 500 evaluated items, covering the relationship between users and the hospital setting, their environmental perception and behaviour. The results highlighted: undersized environments, overlapping of uses, inadequacy of the layout to the activities carried out, accessibility problems, lack of certain necessary environments and maintenance problems. The article also discusses possible solutions to these problems, especially those related to the architect's performance and to RDC 50/2002 reviewing process.