Introduction

” Above all what matters is not to lose the joy of li

ving in the fear of dying.” Maggie Keswick Jencks

Room for healing is the culmination of my research in relations between architecture and people in a healing process.

In Denmark we have a growing number of people diagnosed and dealing with cancer. The ill, the cured and the relatives. My project is a counselling centre situated near Aarhus University Hospital in Skejby. The centre works as a neutral place for healing and counselling in a difficult time. A place that offers the necessary support for the vulnerable. The aim has been to create a centre, that through architectural spaces and atmospheres lessens the physical and mental side effects that comes with the disease. This report presents the research, registrations and investigations, that through knowledge of cancer treatment and healing architecture lead to the decisions of the final design.

Fig. 3 - Maggie Keswick Jencks in her garden in Portrack, Scotland. Photo: Courtesy of Maggie’s centre