Soft Form(s)
Traveling Cancer Research and Treatment Center | Monongahela River, PA
Situated along the heavily polluted Monongahela River, this traveling cancer research and treatment center emerges from an exploration of the intertwined relationships between economics, pollution, and ecology. Once prosperous from the steel industry, this region now faces economic decline and some of the highest cancer rates in the country, largely caused by PM2.5 emissions from the coke plants and mills that still line the river. With limited access to healthcare due to dwindling populations, many residents are unable to receive the consistent treatment they need.
Care, Craft, and the Space In Between
The mobile nature of the project allows cancer patients to receive care closer to home while reestablishing a physical and emotional connection to the river, a landscape they have long been separated from by rail lines and industrial infrastructure.
Formally, the design draws from the divine proportion, exploring how geometric order can foster mental and physical well-being. A series of programmatic forms are situated within three quilted volumes made from PM2.5 filter fabric. These textile skins are intended to weather and darken over time as they trap airborne particulates, becoming a living visual record of the region’s environmental crisis, while remaining reminiscent of care and tradition. The interstitial space between volumes provides a protected outdoor environment free from pollutants, while vertical cuts introduce sunlight at key moments, creating spaces of clarity, healing, and reflection.
