By Healthcare Facilities Today

The architects of the Tata Medical Centre Cancer Hospital wanted to create a sense of familiarity for the Rajarhat, Kolkata, India, facility. The design began with the use of local materials, including regionally sourced sandstone on the façade, and a large arrival gate constructed of concrete pillars with a pergola on top, according to an article on the Healthcare Design magazine website.

“So many modern healthcare facilities in India are very imposing edifices that can be almost hostile and disorienting,”  Mark Erdly, principal, Cannon Design, was quoted as saying in the article. “This one was consciously thought of as being open, transparent, and welcoming in a way to draw family in and make everyone feel comfortable.” Cannon Design, Boston, served as design architect on the project and Tata Consulting Engineers (Mumbai, India) was the architect of record.

To account for the fact that many family members arrive with patients and stay to become part of their care teams, designers enlarged the waiting rooms and added multiple terraces where patients and families can gather. Built-in benches in the public patient wards accommodate visitors who might stay for a few hours or even overnight. At the center of facility is a series of gardens and a grand courtyard that work together to connect the campus and draw staff, patients, and caregivers alike.

While environmental factors, such as monsoon season, presented one set of design challenges, there were also obstacles with sourcing materials. “We couldn’t assume that a sample delivered to us during the design phase would be available three years later when the project was under construction,” Jayashri Deshmukh, senior associate, Cannon Design said in the article. The project team, which included Indian partners, visited suppliers as well as local quarries to secure stone for the project. 

Read the article and view the image gallery