The Dana-Farber/Brigham and Womens Cancer Center is a 54,000 square foot free-standing, comprehensive care center on the Milford Regional Medical Center campus. Oncology treatment facilities are allocated as follows: Dana-Farber, medical oncology and pharmacy; Brigham and Womens, radiation oncology, and Milford Regional, diagnostic imaging and laboratory. All three organizations committed to a single building design concept rather than individual institutional identities in order to provide seamless care to its patients. Given the complexity of three major institutions, team communication and a collaborative process was critical to meeting the aggressive 13 month design build schedule. In addition, the cancer care center was planned, designed, and constructed as a pilot project for the Green Guide for Health Care.
The patient and family centered experience begins at the front entry where the building faade is askew from the rest of the building to enhance the view of the building and entry, and to create a path towards a healing garden. Exterior building materials come into the public space to blur the line between the interior and the garden. The waiting rooms, family conference room, offices and the entire infusion area are oriented to the building perimeter and windows fill each space with sunlight and a sense of warmth. The interior includes a rock garden, stylized field of flowers way finding walls, and other nature related themes.
The infusion area provides a choice of private bays, group bays and isolation rooms. Patients have control over their environment allowing for both acoustical and visual privacy as well as control of lighting levels. Central to the space are the nurse stations, community activity areas and a family kitchen/caf space. The facility also includes a resource area complete with computers, books, and meeting space.