Santa Chiara Hospital: Comfort, Efficiency and Patient Care

Transforming a former industrial facility into a modern healthcare center requires far more than a simple building renovation. It means creating safe, comfortable, and efficient environments capable of meeting the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and highly sensitive medical equipment. This was the challenge faced by Santa Chiara Private Hospital in Partinico, in the province of Palermo, which selected Daikin to design and implement an integrated HVAC system capable of delivering high standards of comfort, indoor air quality, and operational continuity throughout the entire facility.

Are you planning to build an efficient, safe, and comfortable healthcare facility? Contact our experts to discover the solution best suited to your project.

Casa di Cura Santa Chiara

 

A Healthcare Facility with Complex and Diverse Requirements

Santa Chiara Private Hospital was created through the redevelopment and transformation of a former manufacturing facility into a modern, state-of-the-art healthcare center. An ambitious project that required an HVAC system capable of meeting a wide range of different operational requirements.

In a healthcare facility, every area has specific environmental needs. Common areas and reception spaces must provide comfort and wellbeing for visitors; administrative offices require stable indoor conditions for staff; patient rooms need controlled temperatures and high indoor air quality to support patient recovery.

These requirements are complemented by those of more specialized areas, such as diagnostic imaging departments, CT scan and MRI suites, and above all the operating theatre block, where precise control of temperature, humidity, and air changes is essential to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of clinical operations.

The facility therefore required a reliable, energy-efficient, and highly flexible solution, capable of simultaneously managing multiple zones with different operational demands while ensuring service continuity and optimized energy consumption.

The Daikin Solution: An Integrated System for Comfort, Efficiency, and Reliability

To meet the requirements of Santa Chiara Private Hospital, Daikin designed and delivered a comprehensive solution integrating multiple technologies, each serving a specific role within the HVAC system.

At the core of the installation is a 450 kW EWYD-4Z inverter screw heat recovery chiller, the technological heart of the system, engineered to efficiently provide both heating and cooling while ensuring maximum operational flexibility and energy optimization.


Casa di Cura Santa Chiara unità Daikin

 

UTA Professional for Casa di Cura Santa Chiara

Climate control throughout the facility is provided by Daikin VRV systems, enabling precise and independent temperature management across different areas. This allows the system to adapt to the varying needs of each department while maintaining high levels of comfort at all times.

To ensure the highest standards of indoor air quality, the facility has been equipped with five Professional Air Handling Units with integrated temperature control, designed to provide precise management of ventilation, air filtration, and humidity levels. This is a critical element in healthcare environments, where patient wellbeing and environmental safety also depend on maintaining stable and optimal indoor conditions.

 

 

Casa di Cura Santa Chiara Daikin units

Particular attention was dedicated to the diagnostic imaging area. For the continuous cooling of the MRI magnet, Daikin installed a dedicated R-32 Small Inverter Chiller EWYT-CZ, a solution specifically designed to ensure maximum operational reliability and preserve the long-term performance of highly sensitive medical equipment.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the integration of these technologies, Santa Chiara Private Hospital can now rely on an advanced and highly efficient HVAC system capable of delivering accurate temperature control, high indoor air quality standards, low noise levels, and uninterrupted operation. These benefits contribute directly to patient comfort, healthcare staff efficiency, and the reliable operation of daily clinical activities.

 

A Project That Places Comfort at the Service of Quality Care

The result is a facility where every area benefits from environmental conditions tailored to its specific function. From patient rooms to operating theatres, from common areas to diagnostic departments, the Daikin system helps create a healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient environment.

In addition to improving the wellbeing of patients and healthcare professionals, the adopted solution has enabled the facility to achieve high levels of energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption and operating costs without compromising system performance.

The Santa Chiara Private Hospital project in Partinico is therefore an important example of how advanced HVAC design can support the transformation of the healthcare sector by combining comfort, safety, sustainability, and operational continuity. This reference project further demonstrates Daikin’s ability to successfully address complex challenges, contributing to the development of modern healthcare facilities where environmental quality becomes an integral part of the quality of care.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Daikin heat pump units manufactured?

Daikin heat pumps are manufactured in Italy, at the headquarters and heart of Daikin Applied Europe, located in Ariccia (Rome). This factory is dedicated to producing high-quality HVAC equipment, including two main types of heat pumps: air-source and water-source.

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Which Daikin heat pumps use R‑290 refrigerant?

Daikin’s R‑290 propane refrigerant range includes the new EWA/YK‑CZ air-to-water Monobloc unit and the EWYK‑QZ air-source modular heat pump. These solutions are well‑suited for a wide variety of traditional HVAC comfort applications—such as offices, hotels, commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, and corporate complexes. They can be installed in new systems or used in retrofit projects where boilers are being replaced, offering an efficient and sustainable alternative.  

What safety features are available on Daikin R‑290 heat pump models?

Daikin R‑290 heat pumps are designed according to our dedicated Daikin Safety Shield approach—an integrated safety concept that includes a complete set of technical measures and component‑level protections to ensure safe operation at every stage.
Discover the full safety concept in detail.

Beyond product design, Daikin is committed to raising industry safety standards across the entire lifecycle of R‑290 systems—from manufacturing to installation, operation, transport, and end‑of‑life management. This includes ensuring that all partners involved in the value chain—installers, wholesalers, service technicians, and logistics providers—receive specific training on how to handle R‑290 safely and efficiently. This comprehensive approach enhances safety for everyone involved and ultimately ensures that end users benefit from higher protection, cleaner handling practices, and long‑term system reliability.

What are the capacity ranges of Daikin R‑290 heat pump units?

The EWA/YK‑CZ range covers capacities from 20 to 85 kW, making it an ideal solution for small to medium‑sized commercial applications where compactness, efficiency, and ease of installation are key requirements.

The EWYK‑QZ modular heat pump extends capacity from 135 kW up to 2000 kW, thanks to its scalable multi‑array architecture. Its modular design allows engineers to tailor the installation exactly to project needs while enabling future upgrades without redesigning the entire plant.

Talk to an expert and explore our dedicated Heating Solutions page to discover Daikin’s complete range.

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