Thomas Johns Cancer Center

Feasibility study for a 112,000 sf Main Entry addition to the existing hospital. Design features include a public stairway, fireplace, daylight, natural views, and access to a meditation garden. The first floor has a cancer center of excellence, urgent care center, lab station, satellite pharmacy, and auditorium. The second floor has physicians’ offices, genetics department and integrated medicine. The third floor connects to an existing bed tower & will provide expanded patient bed and PACU capabilities. A 600 car integrated parking garage was designed to recover existing lost parking spaces due to the addition, and provide additional parking for new demands on the campus.

The primary design challenge was to find a suitable location for an addition that redefines the main entry point to a hospital that already has many existing fronts and existing building out growths. Various existing programmatic adjacencies helped define the best solution. Internal programmatic demands helped shape the form of the building into a three story addition that embraces the patient as they enter.

In conjunction with providing primary cancer treatment, a multidisciplinary approach to treatment includes additional alternative therapies all under the same roof. Complementary services were to be "evidence-based," such as massage and acupuncture, which can help people deal with the nausea, fatigue, pain and anxiety of cancer treatment.

The introduction of exterior views from treatment areas, natural daylight, and a sense of openness were design focuses that defy the nature of traditional hospital environments creating a comforting environment where patients would feel at ease.