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Cancer Hospital

Cancer Day Care Centre

Morphogenesis takes on the design of a Multispecialty health care centre, under its corporate social responsibility initiative. This centre is located in the Pan Bazaar, Guwahati and is being set up by a group of doctors to address the high incidence of cancer in the North Eastern region of the country. According to a report by the Indian Council of Medical Research in 2013, the incidence of cancer is highest in this region of India. There is a wide disparity in both the diagnosis and treatment of cancers, which are mostly due to lack of awareness, socioeconomic conditions, and difficulty to access good facilities for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The centre was conceived as a knowledge wormhole that allowed for real time communication between the doctors in the facility and other specialists all over the world. Morphogenesis’ design approach was to deinstitutionalize the spatial construct of a medical centre and instead create a welcoming healthcare centre. The facility has a Cancer Day Care Centre that focuses on ‘patient centered design’. The interior spaces are designed to reflect an understanding of a patient’s day to day experiences and health care needs, these are then integrated into the clinic care facilities. The feature walls of the reception area and waiting areas are accented with hues of pastel blue and muted green. These colours are believed to have a positive psychological impact on patients, boosting their mood, reducing stress and anxiety, and in turn, speeding up their recovery. Biophilia is also introduced to the interiors, to impart a sense of calm, comfort and hope to the patients. All the interior design strategies work towards creating a positive environment for the patients. To impart a strong sense of contextual identity to the built form, local materials are used across the front façade of the building. A bamboo screen forms a band and ties the front section of the facility together, while allowing daylight to filter into the reception area, creating a plethora of patterns of light and shadow. On the inside, these bamboo patterns transpose themselves onto other materials like glass screens, reception wall, etc, furthering the sense of connect with the natural environment, which is strongly characteristic of north-east life. The building is opened up by using the transparency of glass, this maximizes positive view and daylight into the facility. While an abundance of day light and biophilia in the interiors works towards elevating the spatial quality, artificial (intended) light is used, to mimic the effects of natural light within the facility.