The design of today’s health care environments is primarily focused on the advancement of medical technology and the facilitation of staff efficiency and patient quantity rather than experiential quality. For these reasons, the environments in which we treat those suffering from both acute and chronic illnesses become less focused on the positive experience of the patient, and more intimidating to the surrounding community in overall physical scale and character. A cancer center is proposed as a vehicle for reconsidering the scale, design, program, and outreach of medical facilities. Cancer generally requires several consecutive visits to health care facilities and extended periods of treatment per patient, and such facilities can be separate from major hospitals. This presents unique design opportunities to improve the quality of patient experience; maintain the focus on staff efficiency; facilitate community outreach; and promote interaction amongst patients, staff, the surrounding medical community, and the general public.
This project is located in Corryville (Cincinnati), Ohio in order to foster an innovative “urban therapeutic environment” while also preserving the proximity to surrounding medical services. The design responds to the scale of the surrounding area while creating a ‘campus’ that encourages community involvement as well as internal interaction. Easy transitions among the various facility programs, and the use of large public spaces in conjunction with private courtyards and gathering spaces at various scales will create a less intimidating medical environment and a more comforting facility focused on promoting both physical and emotional health.