Adopting Digital Morphogenesis in Design of Psycho-Oncological Support Units in Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Historically, cancer patients have used to rely on the medical diagnosis only in their treatments of this disease. Nowadays a field of cancer support called psychosocial oncology or psycho-Oncology, has emerged and spread worldwide to support medical treatments in order to improve patients’ recovery rates. Social support has been found, empirically to influence health outcomes. [However, here in Egypt there is still shortage in this area despite the real need. Since psychosocial supportive care services are introduced to people with cancer in a variety of therapeutic ways internationally, depending on that on the ability of the building to improve users’ well-being, in addition to positive impact of nature on human health]. It is critical to adopt an architectural approach based on the human-nature relationship that has a positive impact on cancer patients’ well-being and, improve their therapeutic program. Architects, who keep trying to connect building with nature and learn from it; taking different pathways, bio-mimicry, bio-gnosis, bio-philia, and digital morphogenesis all have the same concern, but with different priorities, weightings, and principles. Digital morphogenesis, as developed by Neil Leach in 2009, is one of these approaches that encourage the transfer of functions, concepts and strategies from natural organisms or systems to create a resilient built environment and improve its capacity for regenerative systems. Thus, the research aims to induce a framework based on a bio-inspired approach for developing this new typology of buildings in order to create more appealing environment that influence cancer patients’ therapeutic program positively. This will be achieved via multi-layered methodology that depends first, on identifying the different psychological needs of cancer patients through literature and analysing different international examples in order to reach factors and successful applications that can be a base to build a suitable local model. Second, analysing the local status quo of cancer supportive care units in Egypt to define spaces current