The sprawling plan of this hospital, the fifth in a series of federally funded public health facilities executed by the Buenos Aires office (see also Rosario Provincial Hospital), resembles the relatively traditional planning philosophy of the Alvear hospital. In this case, however, a two-story building was covered by an array of inexpensive tin roofs, slightly staggered in elevation to achieve maximal permeability to the air. The limited budget made it imperative that the building be able to handle the extreme temperatures characteristic of this northern region of Argentina without air-conditioning. Toward that end, the double roof – reminiscent of the earlier mental hospitals at Santiago del Estero and Tucumán – provides substantial attenuation of the heat loading on the structure, while its permeability to the air works in conjunction with strategically disposed ground-level units to offer efficient natural ventilation throughout the building. (The later plan for the Goethe School in San Isidro included a similar roof-based ventilation system.) This was an innovative model for a large, low-budget, naturally ventilated and air-cooled structure.