In the heart of Czestochowa, a unique concept for a place designed to be an asylum for cancer patients and their loved ones has been created. The project is a work by Anna Babczynska, designed to provide holistic support for people struggling with cancer. It was inspired by the international network of Maggie's Centers - psycho-oncology support centers that combine architecture, nature and human care.
axonometry
© Anna Babczynska
a home, not an institution
The designed facility in Czestochowa breaks with the cold, institutional image of traditional medical facilities. This place was conceived as a warm, friendly space where users can feel at ease and safe. The functional layout of the building has been planned to allow both social integration and to provide privacy and tranquility in secluded areas.
The centerpiece of the first floor space is the kitchen with a dining room, which, in keeping with Maggie's idea, becomes the heart of the house. The building also includes a library, a quiet room, individual and group therapy rooms, and support functions such as a social room and storage. The whole is complemented by natural materials, bright colors and ergonomic furniture, creating a warm, non-intrusive atmosphere.
in the shade of trees and close to nature
The project's location - in the vicinity of Gabriel Narutowicz Park and the Municipal Public Health Service Hospital - is not accidental. Proximity to greenery is crucial to the therapy and well-being of patients. Surrounding the building is a carefully designed garden, which has a therapeutic function, providing an opportunity for contact with nature, participation in horticotherapy or simply relaxing in the fresh air.
The tall greenery has been preserved and supplemented with new plantings, highlighting the architecture of the building and ensuring that the garden is attractive all year round.
elevation
© Anna Babczynska
ideas that change lives
The genesis of the project goes back to the work of Maggie Keswick Jencks, whose own experience with cancer provided the impetus for the creation of the first psycho-oncology support center. Her premise was that sufferers and their loved ones should have access not only to information and alternative therapies, but also to a space that supports, calms and allows them to regain control of their lives.
With the help of her husband Charles Jencks and numerous specialists, Maggie's Foundation was established, and after Maggie's death in 1995, she began building more centers. There are now 27 such facilities in operation - mostly in the UK - and each is distinguished by its individual design approach, inextricably combining aesthetics, comfort and contact with nature.
sensory garden
© Anna Babczynska
accessibility without barriers
Anna Babczynska's design not only aesthetically and functionally matches the idea of Maggie's, but also fully addresses the needs of accessibility. The building and its surroundings were designed to be useful and convenient for all users - regardless of age, health or fitness level.
An elevator, wide passageways, lack of architectural barriers and intuitive layout of the space are solutions that enhance comfort and promote independence.
visualization
© Anna Babczynska
A new quality of support in Poland?
Although Maggie's Centers currently function mainly in the UK, the project proposed in Czestochowa paves the way for the creation of similar places in Poland as well. It is not only an architectural concept, but also a proposal for a new quality of psychological and social support for people affected by cancer.
The center, designed by Anna Babczynska, is a model of a place that - instead of resembling a hospital - becomes an asylum, a space of regeneration and real support.
