In early 2000, Elizabeth General Hospital merged with St. Elizabeth Hospital to form Trinitas Hospital. Previously, cancer care was split between the two campuses. Housing Radiation and Medical Oncology programs, the new 49,000-sq.-ft. Cancer Center was designed as a resource for patients and a conduit for change within the surrounding community’s economic development program.

The center’s location on the corner of a major intersection in downtown Elizabeth helps to create a unique identity. The design team used this concept as a starting point for the exterior design and applied glass and EIFS to present a high-tech image that also relates back to the local architecture. The design team incorporated the original hospital’s indigenous materials with fresher color schemes to capitalize on the center’s prominent location. The most outstanding architectural features are stairwells, enclosed in glass, that act as visual landmarks at the intersection.

The interior design balances patient and staff efficiency in the context of hospitality design. The interior finishes reference hotels and high-end oncology facilities to match the forward-looking vision of the hospital and the community. The center features universal exam rooms, 10 chemotherapy treatment bays with entertainment centers for added comfort, and two linear accelerator suites. The unique design of the Infusion Suite introduces innovative “buddy bays” in addition to private bays. The buddy bays encourage patients to build relationships during treatment sessions by use of low walls that allow conversation or table space for a game of cards.

Project category: New construction (completed September 2005)

Chief administrator: Gary Horan, President, Trinitas Hospital, (908) 994-5754

Firm: EwingCole, (215) 923-2020

Design team: Rad Delaney, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager; Natalie Miovski, AIA, LEED AP, Healthcare Architect; J. Andrew Jarvis, AIA, LEED AP, Principal; John Chase, AIA, Project Designer; Jill Kowalski, LEED AP, Interior Designer; Daniel Kalwaitis, Project Architect

Photography: Jeffrey Totaro

Total building area (sq. ft.): 49,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $367

Total construction cost (excluding land): $18,000,000