The brief to the Roseville, Calif.-based Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Inc., the architects who designed the $10 million, 34,000-square-foot, two-level cancer center of the Carson-Tahoe Hospital was simple: Consider the well being of the patients and incorporate features that promote healing.
That meant a building that would be one with nature.And that is what HGA came up with.
"HGA was selected on the basis of their understanding of the spirit and quality of cancer care we wished to deliver," says Pam Graber,
executive director of Carson-Tahoe Hospital Foundation.
The center encompasses services including medical and radiation oncology and support services and a resource center.
The building is designed to complement the environment, the surrounding hills, vegetation and colors.
In complementing the environment, Principal Bill Duckworth says the firm incorporated "lots of views of nature and lot of natural light which tend to help the healing process." The chemotherapy positions where the recliners will be located will allow patients are able to view the beautiful Eagle Valley.
As chemotherapy sessions can go one from one hour to six hours, Duckworth says it's vitally important to provide the patients with nature's indulgence.
An outdoor space has been created where the chemotherapy patients, if they want, can take IV pole outside and continue with their therapy.
The sloping hillsides of the site gave the architects the opportunity to have two entrances one at the upper level, which is the medical oncology section and the other, the lower level, which is the radiation oncology section.
Parking spaces will be adjacent to the two entrances are the parking spaces, which will allow the patients to park in front of the department they need to visit and walk straight in there.
Hunt Construction Group Inc.'s west regional office based in Phoenix won the construction contract for the center as well contracts for the nearby the Regional Medical Center and Sierra Surgery and Medical Center project.
It is scheduled to be completed in 11 months, in the late summer 2006.
Ray Zunino,Hunt's vice president, says it's a simple structural steel building.
"Probably the most unique feature of the building is the two huge linear accelerators, the huge concrete vaults, that are down in the basement."
Most of the work will be done by local subcontractors, Zunino says.
