A collection of wood-lined communal areas constructed from modular items kind Heat Nest, a most cancers care centre in Belgium by structure studios Archekta and Ark-shelter.
Operated by the hospital AZ Zeno close to Bruges, Heat Nest is designed to be an inviting and comforting place for sufferers with most cancers and their family members to return collectively.
In response to Slovakian studio Archekta and Belgian studio Ark-shelter, the ethos of the challenge was knowledgeable by Maggie’s Centres – a community of most cancers care centres operated by the charity Maggie’s that was based by Maggie Keswick Jencks and the late architectural historian Charles Jencks in 1995.
Since its founding, the charity has commissioned an illustrious roster of architects to design its areas, together with Daniel Libeskind, Amanda Levete and Steven Holl.
“The consumer, AZ Zeno hospital, was in contact with Maggie’s and was impressed by the Maggie’s care philosophy,” defined the studios.
“[We see] this challenge as a snapshot within the lengthy listing of initiatives to assist really restorative design, one piece to contribute to the honourable path of making wholesome and therapeutic environments,” they continued.
Heat Nest is organised on a grid round two inner courtyards and constructed utilizing Ark-shelter’s personal system of prefabricated, modular items that measure 4 by six metres.
A communal eating room and kitchen beside one of many courtyards kind the guts of the centre. It’s surrounded by areas for rest, gathering and focus, in addition to workplace and remedy rooms.
These completely different services led Archekta and Ark-shelter to design a wide range of openings that guarantee completely different ranges of privateness and lighting situations. This consists of full-height glazing within the vivid, open areas, and clerestory home windows and skylights within the extra enclosed, intimate rooms.
“The modules kind a strict and rational grid, however from the affected person’s perspective, motion is fluid and natural,” defined the architects.
“The eating room is the guts of the home; the place with essentially the most mild, permitting for an area to assemble for introverts in addition to extroverts, solar and shade, views outdoors or into the snug courtyard,” they continued.
Above, the primary ground incorporates a pair of personal remedy rooms which might be topped with glass roofs and overlook the centre’s courtyards and environment by means of sq. home windows.
Alongside Heat Nest’s southern and western sides, two small terraces accessed through folding glass doorways present out of doors gathering areas, whereas a paved path to the north connects the centre to the close by street.
The interiors of the centre are lined virtually completely with uncovered spruce panelling, which has additionally been used to create built-in storage.
Within the eating room and gathering area, the angled picket ceiling slopes upwards in the direction of the slim skylights, serving to to scoop mild down into the interiors.
Within the UK, architect Amanda Levete lately accomplished a Maggie’s Centre in Southampton that’s clad with a mirrored floor that displays the encompassing gardens.
The pictures is by BoysPlayNice.
