Architecture, humanization, and public health in Brazil: a debate on standard projects for Primary Care Units

Abstract

The humanization policies implemented by Brazil's Ministry of Health (MH) represent advances in facing challenges for improvements in public health equipment. However, many establishments still have an inadequate physical structure. To meet the demands and improve and expand the public attention network, the Federal Government and the State of Minas Gerais provided standard designs, enabling the construction of buildings capable of providing quality service to system users. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether these designs respond, in addition to normative and functional criteria, to the assumptions of humanization, aiming at an architecture that contributes positively to the health and well-being of the population. Thus, this article aims to analyze how architecture has been treated to achieve a humanized public health policy. To this end, we evaluate the quality of the Primary Care Unit (PCU) design proposal of the MH and Minas Gerais. Therefore, we verified the practical application of the humanization concept and the principles of ambiance in the standard projects of these PCUs through the qualitative analysis of the architectural plans and perspectives, considering technical-constructive, programmatic and functional, and environmental aspects, according to the authors' perception. The analysis of case studies showed the agility of construction, compliance with normative criteria, and cost reduction as advantages of standardization. As a disadvantage, we highlighted the distance between the project and the place. We conclude that the environments have improved in terms of quality. However, the focus remains on the construction and not on promoting the well-being and integral health of the subjects.