The Christie Oak Road Treatment Centre is the largest single site cancer centre in Europe.
The visual cue, reflective of the wider Trust identity, signifies to patients that they can expect the same world leading care at both sites. The similarities are expressed in a language of brass/copper cladding, stone, and curving building forms that echo the main site, while responding to its setting. The material has been chosen for its weathering feature – the bright copper finish will slowly transform to a deep matt brass over the lifetime of the building.
The sweeping form of the elevation draws a clear link between this unit and the main Christie facility in Manchester.
Grey sandstone grounds the building in the local material vernacular of Cheshire.
The sandstone is used to clad the patient stair and lift core, along with the linking corridor structure. The ribbons of brass that peel off from this core clearly identify the new entrance to the hospital.
Along with the retained mature trees and planting, the building form provides a screened external space for patients and staff, while being open and visible from the central waiting area. At first floor this form terraces back, creating an interplay that dynamically wraps between the more formal forms of the patient circulation core and the treatment room accommodation.
