On 13th August 2025, we at Harshamitra Super Speciality Cancer Centre & Research Institute, Trichy, had the privilege of addressing the final-year B.Arch students of Marg Institute of Design and Architecture Swarnabhoomi (MIDAS).
Our Managing Director, Dr. G. Govindaraj Vardhanan, led the session on “The New Era of Cancer Hospitals”. This wasn’t just a medical talk — it was an open conversation with young architects about how their designs can directly influence cancer care and recovery.
Why We Spoke to Architects
At Harshamitra, we see every day how the environment affects healing. A cancer hospital isn’t just a building with machines and beds — it’s a place where patients fight for their lives, where families wait with hope, and where doctors and nurses work tirelessly. We wanted these future architects to understand that design can make the difference between a stressful hospital and a healing one.
More Than Medicine – The Role of Design
- We explained how a thoughtfully designed hospital can:
- Reduce patient anxiety through natural light, fresh air, and calming spaces.
- Help staff work efficiently with shorter walking distances, well-planned layouts, and easy access to key facilities.
- Maintain safety through infection control zones, proper ventilation, and regulated waste management.
The Rules We Must Respect
Before a cancer hospital opens, several approvals and safety checks are needed. We walked the students through each one:
- Pollution Control Board Clearance – For safe disposal of biomedical waste and wastewater.
- AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) Approval – Essential for radiation therapy rooms like LINAC bunkers, which need precise shielding.
- Health Department Certification – To be officially recognised as a cancer care centre.
- Lift & Accessibility Licenses – Ensuring stretcher-sized lifts and wheelchair-friendly ramps.
- Fire Safety Approval – Emergency exits, alarms, sprinklers, and oxygen pipeline safety.
- Biomedical Waste Management Compliance – Proper segregation, storage, and disposal.
- Green Building Measures – Rainwater harvesting, solar energy, and energy-efficient systems.
Design That Heals
Rules keep hospitals legal and safe — but design makes them humane. We shared how, at Harshamitra, we focus on:
- Placing chemotherapy wards where patients can see sunlight without harsh heat.
- Creating waiting areas where families can rest comfortably.
- Ensuring wayfinding is simple, so no one feels lost.
- Keeping treatment areas close, but never overcrowded.
Our Message to the Students
We told them this: “When you design a cancer hospital, you are not just creating walls and rooms. You are shaping a place of hope. Your design will be part of the treatment itself.”
For us at Harshamitra, this talk was more than a lecture — it was planting a seed in the minds of future architects. We believe that with the right knowledge and compassion, they will create cancer hospitals that are safe, functional, and deeply healing.
Harshamitra’s Architect Checklist
For anyone designing a cancer hospital in Tamil Nadu, here’s a quick reference:
- Get the right approvals – TNPCB, AERB, Health Department, Fire Safety, Lift License.
- Plan for patients first – Light, air, quiet spaces, and easy movement.
- Support the staff – Efficient layouts and quick access to equipment.
- Control infections – Zoning, ventilation, and safe waste handling.
- Think green – Energy saving, water harvesting, and sustainable materials.
- Make it human – Comfort, dignity, and hope in every space.