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D'Amour Center for Cancer Care
Springfield, Mass.
Steffian Bradley Architects
Daylight key to creating a soothing, healing environment
© Robert Benson Photography |
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The D’Amour Center for Cancer Care, an ambulatory care facility in western Massachusetts, offers a comprehensive program of radiation and systemic oncology. Steffian Bradley Architects worked closely with Baystate Health System to realize their vision of a patient-centered healing environment, with a goal of alleviating patient anxiety and the overwhelming nature of cancer treatment by improving the surrounding environment. The center’s architecture shapes the patient experience as a journey through the facility and treatment.
To create a soothing ambiance, the program separates patient areas from the operational functions of a cancer center. Staff work areas are visually separated from patient care areas, concealing support and office functions from patient view. Reminders of the medical environment, such as records, linen carts, supplies and equipment, are kept hidden within casework and staff circulation routes. Interior walls are comprised of semi-transparent resins or glass set within a wood-paneled grid to create a light appearance and soften the connections between spaces. Carefully selected warm, natural-looking finishes, furnishings, and wall coverings, as well as nature-themed art, evoke feelings of serenity and comfort. These interior elements differ in color, style, and use from room to room, providing a variety of experiences for patients’ repetitive visits to the center.
Daylight, an integral design element, creates warm spaces, reduces anxiety, and promotes health. A curved, two-story curtain wall and canopy wrap around the building’s southwest corner define the entrance and bring light into the lobby, café, and patient support areas. A south-facing curved skylight bisects the building from east to west, bringing light into a two-story atrium. Glass plank flooring brings the atrium’s natural light into the first floor reception area. On one side of the space a pattern of overlapping wood panels creates a “living wall,” providing texture and dramatic patterns of light that change with the sun’s movement across the sky.
Formal name
of Project:
D'Amour Center for Cancer Care
Location:
Springfield, Mass.
Gross square
footage:
64,000 sq. ft.
Total construction cost:
$21 million
Owner:
Baystate Health System
Architect:
Steffian Bradley Architects
100 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02110
Phone: 617-305-7100
Fax: 617-305-7199
www.steffianbradley.com
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