Problem: Integrate outpatient treatment areas with desert landscape to benefit patients, at low cost.
Solution: Deeply recessed porches with glazed aluminum curtain walls and chamfered trellises allow views and access while cutting glare and solar gain.
A simple exterior palette and native landscaping lends a spa-like feel to this cancer treatment center.
Stripping an obsolete hospital shell to its steel framing, CO Architects transformed the recycled substructure in Tucson into a showplace of evidence-based design. Relying on lengthy interviews with the client – patients, nurses, and doctors specializing in cancer treatment – the Los Angeles firm, led by principal Dennis McFadden, FAIA, invoked the power of the natural desert landscape to bring inspiration and healing power to the oncology facility.
“We envisaged a resort hotel, or a spa, and took advantage of the locale and landscape and a dramatic view of the mountains,” says McFadden. “The surroundings do incredible things in the light, so we wanted to emphasize the building’s relationship to earth and landscape.”
Using a palette of muted cement plaster, Arizona sandstone, metal panels, and chamfered steel members, the architects created a series of treatment pavilions with porches and chamfered trellis elements. Outside the facility’s large, deeply recessed aluminum curtain walls with energy-efficient glazing, patients can access a desert garden of terraces and native plantings – created with noted landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck – connect the treatment services to an inspiring and meditative natural realm.
According to CO Architects, cancer patients undergoing treatment tend to be physically weak, emotionally frail, and insecure about their appearance. While the building design is open to the desert, the entrance canopy and window overhangs were intended to provide a feeling of refuge and protection from the elements. Inside, courts and “restorative views” combine with a broad treatment regimen including yoga, massage therapy, and salon services.
The healing power of natural forms and outdoor views is well established in clinical studies, and their use has become central to modern health care architecture. The success of McFadden and his team, however, was in keeping costs low, building quickly and thoughtfully, and making the result durable and easy to maintain.
“The process and constituents control health care architecture,” McFadden adds, “much more than the design does.”
Architects: CO Architects, Los Angeles Type: Cancer treatment center Product: 3250 Series curtain walls Manufacturer: United States Aluminum Performance: Wind pressures to 15.0 psf Price range: $ - $$ Website: www.usalum.com |
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Classic ADA Styling Manufacturer: Corbin-Russwin Performance: Returns to 1/2" of door face Price range: $$ Applications: Available in brass, bronze, and stainless steel, the Newport design of the ML2000 series of mortise locksets is a classic image with cutting-edge features. Available in high-security and vandal-resistant versions; no deadbolt needed. |
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Upgraded Look, Modest Price Manufacturer: Armstrong Performance:39–65% recycled content Price range: $ Applications: A fine-textured acoustical ceiling, the Dune collection offers low-VOC formulations and an NRC of 0.50 across the range, as well as the sag-resistance and anti-microbial performance that is ideal for health care settings. |
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More View, Less Heat Manufacturer: PPG Performance: U-value 0.28, SHGC 0.39 Price range: $$ Applications:Solarban 60 glass is treated with an effective low-E coating that reduces solar heat gain by 48% and U-value by 39% as compared to insulated glass with no coating. It also cuts UV transmission and room-side condensation, and carries a 10-year warranty. |
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Reduced Field Welding Manufacturer: Duro-Last Performance: 88% solar reflectance, 95% thermal emissivity Price range: $$ Applications: The prefabricated sheets employed for the Duro-Last membrane roof system require fewer field welds than for TPO, EPDM, and modified cap sheet, helping reduce errors and the chances of leaks. |
