Project category: New construction (completed November 2004)

Chief administrator: David Grimes, CEO, (253) 697-4000

Firm: Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz, (415) 398-5191

Design team: James Diaz; Johannes Woestenborg; Nicole Penning; Chris Griffes; Chris Rubright

Photography: Michael O’Callahan Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 37,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $216

Total construction cost (excluding land): $8,000,000

The two-story Good Samaritan Cancer Center is designed to provide human scale, clarity of entry, and a warm welcome. The horizontal break between the first and second floors at each end and the gently flowing curve of the second floor soften the façade. The use of stone and wood further softens the building, thus creating an organic and natural feel.

The central, two-story glass entry creates further interest and filters different shades of light into the major waiting and circulation space within the building. At night it acts as a beacon, drawing attention to the center’s entry.

Complementing the main entry is a series of gardens along the front façade, which can be viewed from a meditation alcove and from public areas inside or from a park bench outside.

The Radiation Oncology Clinic is located close to the front door, with its waiting area just to the right of the entry and its windows overlooking the healing garden.

The linear accelerators are state-of-the-art, equipped for intensity-modulated radiation therapy and gating. Large, ceiling-mounted plasma screens allow the patient to view a selection of videos during setup and treatment, creating a positive distraction.


The most spectacular area of the clinic is the 26-bed Infusion Therapy Unit, which features an open community-treatment area with panoramic views of the Puyallup Valley and the Olympic Mountains beyond. The ceiling features custom-sculpted lights designed by a local artist that are kinetic and also slowly cycle changes in color.