The University of Arizona Cancer Center at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center | Phoenix, Arizona | 2015

Architects: ZGF Architects LLP.
Client: The University of Arizona
General Contractor: Hensel Phelps Construction Company
Structural Engineers: Martin, White & Griffis Structural Engineers / John A. Martin & Associates
MEP Engineers: Affiliated Engineers
Civil Engineers: Dibble & Associates Consulting Engineers
Environmental Designers: Atelier Ten
Landscape Architects: Wheat Design Group
Photographer: Nick Merrick / Hedrich Blessing Photographers

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) teamed with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, part of Dignity Health, to bring the future of cancer care to downtown Phoenix. Located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus (PBC), a 28-acre medical and bioscience development situated in Phoenix’s downtown hub for medical innovation and care, the new facility adds a clinical healthcare component to the campus that will strengthen the cluster of bioindustry organizations located there.

The new 220,000 SF facility, intended to deliver the highest standard of cancer care within an evidence-based, multidisciplinary model, using the most modern technologies and a compassionate, patient-centered approach, includes spaces for radiation oncology, clinical pharmacy, a boutique, a support and wellness center, infusion, clinical and research laboratories, diagnostic imaging, endoscopy and interventional radiology, exam and procedure rooms, and conference rooms throughout.

A healing garden located adjacent to the primary entrance to the building is visible from the main lobby, and accessible by all who enter the building.

A deliberate layering of glass, bronze-colored metal, and neutral stone forms the building’s architectural expression, which directly relates to the patient experience—their comfort, privacy, and warmth—while simultaneously establishing the building’s unique identity on the campus.

A canopy over the drop-off ingress provides protection from the sun and rain. Travertine stone, which matches the desert palette, gives scale to the pedestrian environment and grounds the building. The stone flows inside to the main waiting spaces, bringing the outside in.

The waiting areas on each floor are also expressed on the exterior as a glass volume that rises through the center of the building, articulated with horizontal glass sunshades, with a dense frit that protects occupants from the glare of the sun. Exterior sunshades maximize user comfort in the perimeter exam rooms and offices.

Because the sun interacts differently with every side of the building, the double façade on the east and west is cloaked in an outer layer of folded, perforated metal sunshades that protect the patient rooms from the glare of the morning and evening sun, helping to control heat gain and providing a sense of privacy, while still allowing for unobstructed views. These shades also represent a metaphoric blanket around the building, signifying a protective warmth and healing for occupants.

The north and south facades of the building are comprised of glass, and provide views to the mountains to the north and to the PBC to the south. Horizontal sunshades on the south façade block the afternoon sun.

The look and feel of the interior environment more closely resembles a high-end hotel than a cancer center, with an elegantly designed lobby, floor-to-ceiling windows, valet service, and a Starbucks® coffee bar. Travertine stone, in a variegated palette of creams, tans, and browns, used at the exterior building base was carried through to the interior public spaces, uniting the exterior with the interior, and giving the architecture a natural quality and connection to the desert backdrop.

At each level, the public elevators open to a wood feature wall with an oversized graphic numeral in contrasting wood tones to highlight the level being accessed. Public restrooms tuck discretely behind these wood walls. Large waiting lounges on each floor, in close proximity to the elevators, are carpeted and appointed with stylish chairs and sofas in mostly light neutral hues, unusual in a healthcare setting.

A unique sense of transparency was achieved through the use of slatted wood divider walls and glass in the lounges and at check-in on the second floor. While the clinical spaces are more representative of medical facilities, the neutral palette is continued, binding the entire facility together.

All of the patient and treatment rooms have access to daylight, which is supported by the floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides of the building. Those façades that receive the harshest sunlight rely on a series of see-through exterior screens to help maintain patient comfort.