Project category: Addition (completed May 2004)

Chief administrator: Edward Carter, Vice-President and Associate Dean, (336) 716-2963

Firm: Ellerbe Becket, (202) 654-9300

Design team: Paul Zugates, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Pat Schultz, AIA, Project Architect; Greg Chang, AIA, Project Medical Planner; Jim Curran, AIA, LEED AP, Project Designer; Jessica Clear, IIDA, LEED AP, Interior Designer

Photography: ©2004 Tim Buchman

Total building area (sq. ft.): 253,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $180

Total construction cost (excluding land): $45,500,000


Creating an image that conveys state-of-the-art treatment, integrated with a calming presence, was among the key challenges for the design team. Combining high-tech with a soft touch is never easy, and to this end, designers clad bold forms with warm materials, mixing strength with comfort.

A dynamic curtainwall and skylight fill the new cancer center’s four-story atrium with natural light, visually linking all floors and providing a datum for wayfinding. Tactile materials such as wood and sandstone, as well as original artwork, are employed throughout the center, promoting a sense of well-being and healing.

The two-story gowned waiting area features screened, simply furnished alcoves. Clerestory windows placed over the linear accelerator treatment areas, where often there would be a blank wall, wash the arched and hardwood-treated ceiling in natural light. The room’s position within the center takes advantage of the site’s natural grade and offers views of the adjacent treetops.

The 253,000-sq.-ft. center provides a meditation room and outdoor waterfall—additional places where patients, friends, and family can seek comfort and understanding.

The center was sited between the existing medical center and a parking facility, integrating the center into the existing campus. Two skywalks take full advantage of this location, linking the Ardmore Tower and the parking structure with the center and providing access for both inpatients and outpatients. The center also offers a below-grade structured parking garage directly accessible from the lobby.