Barcelona has recently inaugurated the Kālida Sant Pau center, an architectural space designed so that people with cancer and their relatives, friends and caregivers can experience oncological treatment in a pleasant and welcoming environment. The architect Benedetta Tagliabue has designed the building and Patricia Urquiola, together with her team at Studio Urquiola, has created the interiors.
“It is an honor to be invited to work on this project together with Benedetta Tagliabue. As a designer and architect, my objective is to create spaces where people feel comfortable and live better, a goal that coincides with Kālida’s mission” explains Urquiola. With this in mind, she set out to collaborate with brands that align with the project’s philosophy and that agreed to donate their products for a great cause. Urquiola selected her own designs from GAN, the MANGAS ORIGINAL and MANGAS SPACE collections.
The choice of MANGAS makes perfect sense in the context of Kālida: MANGAS is inspired by the handmade wool sweaters that grandmothers used to make. The warmth of pure wool, its hand-loomed character and the heterogeneous and organic shapes take us back to childhood, remind us of the human element and of the importance of giving and receiving care. The combination of neutral and vivid colors in MANGAS also adapts well to the needs in the Kālida space: neutral tones favor relaxation, while colorful notes bring optimism.
“The atmosphere is warm and friendly, as it is in a domestic space. I selected soft colors for the floors, such as wood and ceramics, which give the space a homey feel. On the other hand, the furniture is more luminous and features bright chromatic tones, since the space must transmit dynamic and positive sensations” says Urquiola.
The Kālida Sant Pau project, attached to the Hospital de Sant Pau Campus in Barcelona, offers emotional, practical and social support. It is free and open to anyone with cancer and their immediate relatives.
At GAN, we wholeheartedly give our support to initiatives like this one, which prove that architecture and design are also tools to build a better world.
