How to design with empathy?

"The very essence of architecture consists of a variety and development reminiscent of natural organic life. This is the only true style in architecture." Alvar Aalto

For me architecture has the power to enhance human's lives. Our beautiful world needs a fine and delicate touch to modify their nature and abstract their essences without changing its soul.

The focus of this thesis is to empathize with nature and use it as an instrument to heal the mind and provide comfort to the body. The empathy of architecture with the users and the environment is a key to provide healing. For that reason, the architecture tends to create more than a building; it also creates it's own spirit.

This project is a Cancer Treatment Center located in the Andes of Peru, which purpose is to response to the emotions and needs of the patients and staff. Cancer is a complex disease, which can make the patient feel lost in the world. The interplay with nature will create a healing environment and a spiritual retreat, which creates relief and connection with the universe. The building provides the users places to breath deeply, think and connect with each individual belief.

The design looks for a natural organic plan, which takes advantage of the light and the surroundings. The green design works as a placebo for the patients, which are passing through theses difficult stages. Following the new trends and trying to separate of the idea of a mega hospital, the center is small in scale, but it has a program, which provides care and treatment at the same time. The walls are strong and solid to show the support and protect the inhabitants, but they are also flexible to blend with the high mountains in the horizon. It also has a green oasis, which is the heart of the project that runs from the beginning to end and merged with the natural slope land.

The culture plays an important role in the planning of the design. Adjusting to the customs and beliefs, the building respects the vernacular architecture, and gets inspiration of traditional materials and construction methods that the Inca's empire used like adobe and stone.