EMBT has broken ground on Kálida Sant Pau, a new cancer treatment center located in Barcelona, Spain. Led by EMBT co-founder Benedetta Tagliabue, the pioneering project will provide practical, emotional and social support to patients that complements more conventional medical treatment. The latest project in the Maggie’s Center global network, the center will offer free programs that are “accessible and provided in a warm and welcoming purpose built space where you can ask questions and seek advice in order to feel supported, informed and understood.”
Kálida Sant Pau will be located on a site adjacent to, but separated from, the Hospital’s Oncology Wing, to put patients in a relaxing environment and to allow easy access from the hospital for both patients and visitors. Within, private spaces will allow patients to talk with experienced nurses, psychologists and therapists, while public areas and an outdoor garden will provide a calming environment to foster mental well-being.
The 400-square-meter building has been designed to be warm and welcoming, with an abundance of natural light and inviting materials that are associated with home. Spaces are arranged on two levels, with an open, flexible lower floor conceived as a sequence of gardens and patios.
At the heart of the building, the kitchen area will bring additional warmth to the space, while the library and large multipurpose room will allow the building to play host to small events. Outside, a garden pavilion will blur the lines been interior and exterior space.
“When a person is diagnosed with a cancer, it can feel like a punch in the stomach,” explain the architects in a press release. “Often there are tough questions to face, uncertainty of what will happen in the future, difficult emotions to cope with from anxiety to loneliness and feelings of fragility, uneasiness and fear. Kálida will be there to help and support you, a warm and welcoming place that is a refuge from the stress of the Hospital offering a programme of evidence based support which strengthens physical and emotional wellbeing.
Having supported her husband and professional partner Enric Miralles through his own brain tumour diagnosis and treatment, lead architect Benedetta Tagliabue is uniquely suited to understand the curative value of well-designed architecture. Those wishing to support the project can do so by visiting the Kàlida Foundation website here or get in touch at hola@fundaciokalida.org.
With construction now underway, the project is anticipated to complete in early 2018.
News via EMBT.
Architects
Location
Centre Kālida Sant Pau, Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167, 08025 Barcelona, SpainArchitect
Benedetta TagliabueProject Director
Joan Callís – EMBTProject Coordinator
Valentina Noris – EMBTDesign Team
Gabriele Rotelli, Marianna Mincarelli, Enrico Narcisi, Paola Amato, Helena Carì, Astrid Steegmans, Lisa Zanin, Federico Volpi, Letizia Artioli, Giovanni Vergantini, Paula Gheorgue, Angello CoariteClients
Kálida Foundation, Nous Cims, Fundació Privada de l’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Maggie’s CentreStructural Engineers
Bernus Fernández ArquitectesEngineering Facilities
Proisotec EngineeringMeasurement and Budget
Borrel Jover SLPBuilt Area
400 sqmOutdoor Area
981 sqmProject Year
2018Photographs
Courtesy of Playtime, Courtesy of EMBTArea
1381.0 m2
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