Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center—Nuclear Medicine Department NEW YORK, NY
Project category: Remodel/Renovation (completed September 2005)
Chief administrator: Patricia Soto, Department Administrator, (212) 639-2000
Firm: Jeffrey Berman Architect, (212) 967-3400
Design team: Jeffrey Berman, AIA, ACHA, Principal; Lucy Riederer, Architectural Designer (Jeffrey Berman Architect); Suzanne Dean, Interior Design (Granary Associates)
Photography: John Bartelstone; Jeffrey Berman Architect
Total building area (sq. ft.): 13,100
Construction cost/sq. ft.: $1,145
Total construction cost (excluding land): $15,000,000
Through a series of renovations, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is working to improve patient comfort while maintaining a high standard of treatment. The expansion and modernization of the Nuclear Medicine Department is a multiphase, multiyear rebuilding of the department, totaling 13,100 square feet. Under the direction of the Design & Construction Department, Facilities Management Division, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and together with the architect, the design and planning for the renovation reflect the client’s goal of providing patient-focused care in a spa-like setting.
A new waiting area and physicians’ offices provided appropriate spaces for the projected volume of patients and made available the space needed to install two new PET/CT scanners, the first part of the equipment replacement and anchor for the reorganization of the imaging suite.
The PET/CT exam rooms are unique in their use of an open, all-glass control area. The close contact between staff and patients improves communication during the exams and calms patients during long examinations. The openness of the rooms and lighting provide patient comfort. The unique ceiling design provides an environment where patients can focus their attention on the surroundings rather than the medical equipment or the test.
The third phase of work calls for the replacement and reorganization of the department’s eight Gamma Cameras. The redesign and reorganization have improved patients’ comfort level and overall experience. Improvements to patient flow and the proper organization of the busy department have also improved the working environment for staff and physicians.
