Key Project Data
- Location: Segrate (Milan), Italy
- Sector: Healthcare / Nursing home
- Building: Four-storey care facility across five interconnected blocks
- Total beds: 120
- Bathroom pods supplied: 116 lightweight prefabricated units
- Sterchele scope: Design coordination, off-site manufacture, sequenced delivery, structural interface alignment, and on-site technical integration support through installation and commissioning
The Challenge
San Felice Nursing Home was designed as a care-focused environment prioritising accessibility, safety, and long-term usability. Bathrooms needed to support assisted use, manoeuvring space, and durable finishes while integrating directly within the building’s structural and MEP strategies.
The facility comprises multiple wings arranged around central communal areas, requiring coordinated sequencing across several interconnected blocks. Bathroom installation needed to align with slab progression and service distribution while maintaining dimensional control and accessibility compliance.
In a care environment, traditional in-situ bathroom construction would have increased trade presence within circulation zones and introduced variability across repeated layouts.
Our Solution
Sterchele designed, manufactured, and delivered 116 lightweight prefabricated bathroom pods tailored to the nursing home layout and accessibility requirements.
Our involvement included:
- Detailed design coordination to ensure clear circulation space and compliance with assisted-use requirements
- Interface alignment with structural supports and central MEP distribution strategy
- Installation planning to position pods by crane prior to upper floor slab placement, supported on neoprene and concrete pads with defined site tolerances
- Factory-controlled manufacture with defined inspection and finish verification stages
- Ready-to-connect service integration to reduce on-site mechanical works
- On-site technical presence during installation and commissioning to support coordinated service integration
High-performance finishes, including large-format floor tiles and durable wall finishes, were selected to balance robustness with a residential aesthetic suited to a care environment.
Why Prefabricated Pods Were Effective
Within a healthcare setting, prefabrication provided operational clarity:
- Consolidation of multi-trade bathroom works into a single manufactured unit
- Integration of accessibility requirements within a controlled factory environment
- Reduced labour intensity within resident circulation areas
- Standardised quality verification prior to delivery
- Installation sequencing aligned with slab and block progression
The bathroom scope was delivered as a coordinated modular system rather than dispersed site-based trade activity.
Outcome
The adoption of prefabricated pods transitioned bathroom construction from variable, multi-trade on-site activity to a controlled and repeatable modular installation process across 116 units.
This supported:
- Programme predictability across multiple interconnected blocks
- Reduced trade congestion during peak construction phases
- Consistent dimensional, accessibility, and finish standards
- Clear interface coordination between pod services and the central MEP infrastructure
By integrating design coordination, manufacture, structural interface planning, delivery, and on-site technical support within a single structured scope, the bathroom package aligned with the long-term operational requirements of a healthcare environment.
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