“The Cancer Center is comprised of two structures -- a three-story clinical services and administrative/educational facility, and a five-story research center -- that share a common base,†said Project Designer Dusty Rhoads, AIA, LEED[r] AP, Partner of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership. “This design encourages interaction and intellectual exchanges between the center's world-renowned clinicians and researchers.â€
The architect went on to explain that a “village atmosphere†was created by combining a series of buildings with differing heights and mass. The distinct structures accommodate the highly specialized types of space required for the research laboratories, clinical functions, vivarium and office zone. Meanwhile, unifying physical elements serve to connect the building, according to Rhoads. “It was also important to make the building as warm and friendly as possible for patients and their families who would be using it under stressful circumstances,†he said.