DESIGN PARAMETERS Arrival A warm and obliging welcome when arriving to the counselling centre. It is important that the design of the entrance area is balancing between visual contact to the social spaces and being slightly anonymous. When diagnosed with cancer it can be very difficult to identify yourself being in a new situation. It can be very hard to take the first steps entering the counselling centre, seeking help. This can often be designed as a porch, functioning as a middle zone before entering. Entering directly to the social spaces can have a negative effect on a person that for example are feeling sad. This describes very well the concept of a cancer counsellings, which should facilitate room for different moods and mindsets. Introvert/extrovert The building must appear between being inviting and extrovert to the surroundings and more closed and introvert to ensure privacy and the feeling of safety for the users. Daylight Scientific research shows that daylight and access to windows are the most frequent mentioned by people as important for their wellbeing. (Terkildsen Weiss, Pernille 2015) It is beneficial for the overall orientation and a high intensity of daylight have a positive influence on the experience of stress and pain. To ensure as much daylight in this project as possible the following things have influenced the design. • • •
A more narrow building volume to have light contributing to the rooms from both sides The interior furnishing should not block views as much as possible Materials and surfaces should correspond to a good interior lighting.
Different heights To ensure a great variety of spatial experiences, the design of the building focuses on having several ceiling heights containing double-high rooms in the main spaces. This can contribute to the use of rooms, where a lower ceiling invite for more calm activities and higher ceilings invites for more extrovert/social activities.
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Room for Healing
Fig. 26 - Site Diagrams
