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aPPenDiX Architecture as a Contributor to Healing Dina Radjabalipour
on may 7, 2014 Dina Radjabalipour presented to her graduate project committee a preliminary design for the Chao Comprehensive Cancer Center in orange, California. Based on her somber personal experience with cancer treatment at this facility, she proposed a more hopeful transformation of this facility - from a mostly closed windowless 4 story box to a more open combination of gardens and rooms (See fig. 9.1+ 9.2). Using evidence based design sources which clearly correlated the healing benefits of seeing (and hearing) water, vegetation, and daylight, she skillfully created a three dimensional weaving of treatment and waiting rooms with outdoor gardens, Tragically Dina’s cancer returned before she was able to complete her project - she died of breast cancer less than one year later on April 14, 2015. This book is dedicated to her memory and endeavors to continue her quest for more humane, hopeful environments of healing.
Fig. 9.1_ The typical closed cancer care center “left” is expanded to make room for gardens of water, vegetation, and day lighting “right.”
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Architecture + Cancer
Fig. 9.2_ Size and location of the various rooms are optimized to include day lighting.