Master Architecture | Room for More – An Alternative Cancer Center

Master Thesis | Hanna-Luisa Fraunholz | 4th semester | summer semester 2018

In Tübingen, a building complex for cancer patients is planned to complement the Southwest German Tumour Centre at the Crona Hospital, combining accommodation, education and complementary therapy. The origin of this work is the desire to reconcile the deficits in inpatient stay for cancer patients with a time-effective and holistic therapy in combination with education and appropriate, patient-friendly accommodation. Appropriate architecture sets the patients' needs as a priority.

Architecture arises from man’s need for protection and security, while the presence of architecture in turn is giving back to humans. This interaction is particularly sensitive when the body fails as a protective shell due to cancer and all previous physical integrity and safety is no longer given. Architecture suddenly takes on a special protective function as the next shell to the outside world.

Essential issues such as the desire for privacy, the need for social contact, stability through the presence of loved ones, natural orientation through clear structures and simple forms, connection to nature, open spaces, natural materials, and proportions appropriate to the human scale form the basis of this work.

The work was supervised by Prof. Tobias Wulf.