INSERM cancer research centre – Toulouse

INSERM cancer research centre - Toulouse

Research and care on one site

This project arose from a desire to locate both cancer research and cancer treatment on a single dedicated site. The idea came from the first Cancer Plan in 2003 and the announcement from the then mayor of Toulouse, Philippe Douste-Blazy, that a campus would be set up within the same centre to focus on cancer. Having research (at the CRCT) and care (at the IUC, the university institute of cancer) working together, makes laboratory test results available for checking almost immediately, at the patient’s bedside. The stated goals are “to provide follow-up that is better adapted to each patient’s individual diagnostic and, above all, effectively determine the therapeutic option”.

A building bathed in light

The aim of Franck Vialet, associate architect at vib architecture, was to make the centre a friendly place conducive to interaction. The building is split into three sections, interlinked by walkways: the distinctive structure with its spacious glazed areas bathes the CRCT in light and better integrates it into the immediate landscape, an effect enhanced by the light-reflective capability offered by Mirawall.