This is what author and founder of Maggie’s cancer centers suggests in his freshly published book, Architecture of Hope. Categorized as an architectural book, the idea of architecture for health dawned upon Charles Jencks when his now-deceased wife, Maggie, was diagnosed with metastasized breast cancer. Dismayed at the environment that she had to spend much of her time in for treatment, Charles, an architect critic and Maggie a landscape gardener, developed a blueprint of the kind of nurturing atmosphere they felt was lacking in hospitals.

Since then, Charles Jencks has been able to put up 10 unique Maggie’s cancer centers along with the organization, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centers, which the couple founded together before she passed away. Currently, there are also four more centers on the way.

Jencks enlists the help of topnotch and in-demand architects such as Richard Rogers, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas to create harmonious manifestations with elements from both treatment facilities and uniquely designed, comfortable living spaces.

There are detractors that question the validity of Jencks claims and wonder if the charity funds should go to a more traditional worthy cause like cancer research. But Jencks does not believe in some concretely defined medical explanation for why these cancer centers work. Instead, he puts his faith in what he calls an architectural placebo effect.

“Scientifically, placebos work in about 30% of cases that are psychogenic diseases,” Jencks said. His centers replace windowless neon-lit corridors with wide windows and natural lighting. More than just a typical home-like environment, however, these centers also features hard sterile surfaces; bright, white spaces; long corridors; and artificial ventilation systems.

Charles Jencks is a prime example of a man who played the game with the cards that he was dealt. Before him, who would have thought that architecture could be linked to cancer treatment? But architecture is his forte, and curing cancer became his calling.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Arts & Culture.