Project category: New construction (completed July 2006)

Chief administrator: Peter J. Bernard, CEO, Bon Secours Richmond Health System, (804) 281-8330

Firm: Odell Associates, Inc., (804) 287-8200

Design team: Tom McLaughlin, AIA, Senior Designer (Odell Associates, Inc.); Landscape Architect, Higgins & Gerstenmaier; Civil Engineering, Timmons Group; Interior Design, Kathy Helm & Associates, Inc.; MEP Engineering, Hanover Engineers, PC; Owner and Contractor, Lauth Property Group

Photography: Hilliard Photographics, Inc.

Total building area (sq. ft.): 55,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $284

Total construction cost (excluding land): $15,600,000

The Bon Secours St. Francis Cancer Institute is the first major expansion on the recently constructed St. Francis Medical Center campus. The two-story, 55,000-sq.-ft. facility is prominently located as a gateway structure at the primary entrance to the complex. Featuring warm, natural materials, such as wood, a stone base and accents, cedar piers and soffit trim, terra-cotta tile roofing, and copper gutters, the building presents a welcoming embrace to the arriving public.

Familiar architecture elements such as low, sloping roofs with deep sheltering overhangs; masonry and timber pergolas; several active fountains; and an authentically framed, heavytimber arrival canopy reinforce the humane character of the facility. A three-story stair tower with an art-glass centerpiece anchors the center of the building and echoes the forms and materials of the larger bell tower of the main hospital.

Extensive landscaping organically integrates the facility into its natural setting, while small, sheltered healing gardens and several water features and pathways provide a variety of environments for visitors to experience. The interior features extensive natural light, a warm and engaging palette of colors and materials, and comfortable furnishings to create a healing environment that is rich, varied, and spiritually uplifting.