German designer Gitta Gschwendtner has created the furniture for a dedicated cancer treatment centre at Guy's Hospital in London, completed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners earlier this year.

Gschwendtner was commissioned to create furnishings for the £160 million treatment centre, which consolidates the cancer treatment and research services for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust – bringing together units previously set on eight separate sites.

The designer's main concern was to create privacy within the large open spaces, so she developed a series of seating clusters surrounded by metal mesh screens.

The seats, named Genius Loci, are upholstered in bold colours corresponding to the bright panelling used to designate each area of the building.

Red is used in the welcome area on the ground level, orange for radiotherapy on level two, yellow for outpatients on level five and green for chemotherapy on level seven.

"The seating provides inward-looking, reflective environments for patients and staff to meet," said Gschwendtner.

"Overlapping translucent screens create a sculptural interplay beyond the pure functionality of the furniture, while the varied heights of the screens, some of which extend across the floors, create dramatic lines – making a striking contribution to Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners' definition of the space through colour."

The designer has also created a series of "informal" oak tables for reception desks.

A large table on the ground floor enables the main reception space to be opened up to as many people as possible, while smaller reception desks on each floor encourage a more personal approach between staff and patients.

Seating from Gschwendtner's existing Bodge range is dotted around the space, including a new armchair and side chair that address the needs of a range of body types and frail patients.

Gschwendtner's Genius Loci project is part of a public art installation commissioned by the Futurecity agency for the new cancer centre, which aims to transform the experience of those undergoing cancer treatment.

Photography is by Simon Sorted.