Adjaye Associates has revealed the design for the International Children's Cancer Research Centre (ICCRC) in Kyebi, Ghana. Commissioned by the Wish4Life Foundation, the project marks a step in the development of pediatric healthcare in West Africa. Situated on a 225,000-square-meter site along the eastern slopes of the Atewa Range, the ICCRC is envisioned as an integrated facility dedicated to healing, research, education, and community engagement. It will be the first center in the region solely focused on the treatment of childhood cancers. The project is currently on view at the Time Space Existence exhibition, part of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, held at Palazzo Bembo until 23 November 2025.

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The project aims to address the stark disparity in survival rates for childhood cancers, which currently stand at approximately 10% in the region, compared to about 80% in the United States. With this in mind, the ICCRC sets out to establish a new standard of care that combines locally grounded approaches with international medical and architectural expertise. The development also emphasizes financial self-sufficiency as a core component of its long-term vision. Programmatically, the ICCRC will include a children's hospital, advanced research laboratories, a training institute for oncology, family and staff housing, a chapel, and a dedicated support centre for families.

I believe design can provide a critical inquiry into social responsibility and civic consciousness. I have always sought to work out the aesthetics of this inquiry in my work. At its best, architecture should contribute to a social change agenda. - Sir David Adjaye

The design concept draws on the Akan worldview, which understands illness as a disruption of individual, social, and environmental balance. In response, the ICCRC master plan integrates biophilic design principles, embedding built structures into the surrounding forested terrain. The entry sequence begins at a low-level earthen Welcome Centre that initiates a sensory shift from the outside world into a calm, care-focused environment. Across the campus, shaded courtyards and vibrant gardens introduce light, air, and moments of pause, an intentional contrast to the sterile atmospheres typical of conventional hospitals. Sustainable design principles are also embedded throughout the project. Passive cooling strategies, site-specific building orientation, and photovoltaic energy systems contribute to reducing operational energy demands. The approach integrates traditional environmental knowledge with contemporary building technologies, aligning the campus design with its climatic and cultural context.

The courtyards take inspiration from the Akan Fihankra, or walled family compound, offering both communal gathering and introspective retreat for patients, families, and staff. These spaces are at once social and sacred, grounding the hospital's rhythm in moments of reflection and connection. Architecturally, the campus is shaped by local materials and construction methods. Rammed earth, clay brickwork, timber, and composite earth slabs are used throughout, offering tactile warmth and cultural familiarity. Staff and family residences are positioned low within the landscape, maintaining a sense of intimacy and continuity with the terrain. Clinical and research buildings are shaded by pre-cast low-carbon concrete screens, which reference Kente weaving patterns, embedding ancestral memory into the fabric of the architecture.

In other similar news, Stanton Williams has been commissioned to design the Fleming Research Centre at St Mary's Hospital in London, a project that aims to advance medical research through a purpose-built facility integrated within an existing hospital campus. Meanwhile, the Montreal Chest Institute in Canada is undergoing a transformation from a traditional hospital into a modern medical research hub, adapting its infrastructure to meet contemporary healthcare and scientific needs.

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Reyyan Dogan. "Adjaye Associates Designs International Children’s Cancer Research Centre in Ghana" 22 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030379/adjaye-associates-designs-international-childrens-cancer-research-centre-in-ghana> ISSN 0719-8884