Project Team
-
Interface, Ted Todd, Gustafu0092s, Formica, Shaw contract, SAS, Maharam, Optimas, Avonite, Barrisol, Domuss, Dulux, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, ISG, Campbell Reith
Text provided by BDP
The Oak Cancer Centre is a new clinical care and research centre for the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust’s Sutton hospital campus. The Royal Marsden Hospital opened in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research, and education, and the reimagined building has been designed by BDP with the aim of projecting a strong sense of optimism and to create as positive experience as possible for all those that interact with it: patients, their families and friends, the dedicated staff and the wider community.
The provision of areas where staff and patients can interact with the healing qualities of nature is vital to the design. This creates a contemporary environment and a peaceful atmosphere with easy access to natural daylight, views, and fresh air. Over six floors, the architecture has integrated multiple, easily accessible external terraces, with a striking pergola on the top floor. Each of these provides crucial breathing space for staff and patients. All 66 chemotherapy bays are oriented towards a newly landscaped garden, providing views of green space that enhance patients’ feelings of calm. BDP adopted a fabric-first approach with high levels of thermal insulation, airtightness and a careful balance of wall-to-glazing ratio. The centre also benefits from the existing hospital’s energy centre, which utilises waste heat during the summer months to provide free heating and cooling.
