Radio­therapy Centre – Skåne University Hospital

Health-promoting qualities of daylight

The ordered floor plan allowed for the placement of closed rooms at the middle. Moving concentrically outward and along the façade are the functional spaces that do not require full privacy or radiation protection. Where privacy is required, the rooms are designed with glass walls onto the corridors; the walls have clear glass at floor and ceiling levels and opaque obscured glass in between. Centrally located atria contribute to bringing additional daylight into the interiors. Apart from the health-promoting qualities of daylight, equipment maintenance is easily facilitated due to the above-ground location.

Rethinking the layout

Creating a light, bright environment is challenging for healthcare buildings which require closed rooms and privacy, but the physical act of having to descend underground to receive treatment does nothing to expel a patient’s anxiety. This seemed like the obvious first step when rethinking the layout.

Centrally located in the southern university town of Lund, Sweden, the Radiation Therapy Centre has become a vivid landmark due to the colourful mosaic cladding in various nuances of shimmering glass. This seemingly light façade cleverly conceals the complexity and challenges of construction. Areas of new building in thick concrete seamlessly share a new entrance that link to the older clinic next door.