The Center for Advanced care located at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center campus offers cancer care, digestive health and surgical services for its users. The new infrastructure designed by SmithGroupJJR showcases a contemporary Architectural appearance for its visitors. Every design detail we see in the building is based on a need for the patient, user, the community that it is located in and the environment.
The curved glass wall that welcomes and supports an aesthetic appearance for the building is not just an element for beauty but also function. The curve is based on the sun angles and the shades that extend from the facade filters the light into the buildings' lobby, cafeteria and other publicly accessed spaces.
The interior spaces are cladded with a combination of stone and wood with different forms of art works integrated in them. For instance, the ground floor has elevator bays for future expansion behind colorful panels that touch the double height ceiling lined with stone on the walls; Walls on each floor is decorated with a themed wall that differed to each floor with art work lined along the walls. The management is trying to gain more input in the art work from the community to obtain a perspective on what the community members would like to enjoy as they use the facility. Some break out spaces are cladded with wood and that provides a discontinuity in the monotonous walls. The cancer center is located on the lower level and yet has wonderful natural lighting due to the level differences that follow through the living wall on the rear side.
The Rear facade is designed to merge with the community's image and has a living wall with landscape that provides continuity from the street into the center without having a wall that splits the infrastructure from the edge of the street. It was a great feeling to see such a community oriented design solution in reality.
Providing adequate but hidden storage areas in spaces like corridors, LINAC vault and glass wall partitions for office spaces presents a clean look throughout the building. The infusion center in the cancer center had options for shared spaces with sliding doors that users can use for privacy and also with views to the neighborhood. The patient rooms in the upper floor were relatively larger in comparison with the Center for Advanced Care and Discovery at the University of Chicago Campus. Some of them had natural lighting access.
Beyond the looks the project is a whole package of user oriented, community considerate design solutions.
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