## 2 Materials and Methods
### Case Studies Functional Layout Analysis  
Following the collection of data and information from the available literature review, it was necessary to examine and study a broad spectrum of practical examples of hospital HBEDs and FSEDs to gain a better understanding of the complex systems of their operation  
Figure 1: The PRISMA Flow Diagram shows the process followed for the identification of the 23 papers selected through the Literature Review. and functioning. US-based satellite and autonomous FSED in conjunction with general EDs in European hospitals and Italian hospitals were subjected to a thorough assessment. Data availability and the capacity to gather information, due also to language issues, resulted in the geographical composition visible in Table 1. Technical plans, sections, masterplan, and design reports have been collected through websites, publications and dialogue with designer and/or hospital managers. For the purpose of greater comprehension, three examples of contemporary case studies were picked for the study of each type previously described. Case studies have been selected among facilities built after 2010, between 70,000 and 500 square meters gross floor area, and where it was possible to collect information about floor plan and functions. Relevant cases where no data were available have been excluded. The analysis was carried out by studying the user-flow, logistics, the relationship with its surroundings and an understanding of the zoning and its inter-relationship with different functions and its area distribution per function. To compare all the cases with common criteria, six functional macro areas were identified: Patient Care and Stay, Imaging Department, Nurse Station and Spaces, Core Emergency Area, Triage and Waiting Area, and Lounge and Cafeteria. This analysis resulted in a deeper comprehension about the area distribution for different zones in the studied cases. A department's physical footprint (and the footprints of other functional elements of any building) is determined by the initial functional assumptions, which include factors such as the size of the served area, the number of users, the number of scheduled procedures, access to other healthcare facilities, statistical information on traffic injuries, and so on. Naturally, the aim is not to evaluate an Emergency Department solely on the basis of its area due to different starting conditions. However, the study of the area element is commonly considered in the research and practical environment to be a very valuable tool for assessing the accuracy of a design, and therefore benchmark strategies on this element have been adopted for data analysis [23; 24; 25]. The area specification, especially shown as a percentage of the total area, can help to point out several principal relations. It gives a scale \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Name** & **Type** & **Location** & **Year** & **Area Sqm** \\ \hline Cap-Rock Emergency Hospital & FSED-Satellite & USA & 2018 & 1928 \\ Clarksville Freestanding Emergency Department & FSED-Satellite & USA & 2017 & 1022 \\ Huston Methodist & FSED-Satellite & USA & 2014 & 892 \\ Emergency Care Centre & FSED- & USA & 2013 & 785 \\ Legacy FR Freestanding & FSED- & USA & 2014 & 600 \\ Emergency Department & Autonomous & USA & 2019 & 1730 \\ Baptist Health South & FSED- & USA & 2012 & 17,800 (hospital) \\ Florida FSED & Autonomous & USA & 2010 & 260,400 \\ Villeneuve-Saint- & & & & \\ Georges & HED-Europe & FRANCE & 2012 & 17,800 (hospital) \\ Hospital & & & & \\ New University Hospital & HED-Europe & SPAIN & 2010 & (hospital) \\ La Fe de Valencia & & & & \\ Skane University & HED-Europe & SWEDEN & 2010 & 25,800 (hospital) \\ Hospital Malmo & & & & \\ [PERSON] & HED-Italy & ITALY & 2012 & 5580 \\ Bergamo & & & & \\ Policlinico di Milano & HED-Italy & ITALY & On Going & 70,000 (hospital) \\ San Rafatele Hospital & HED-Italy & ITALY & 2021 & 6752 \\ Milano & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: List of case studies analyzed and criteria of analysis.