The Yawkey Center includes 100 examination rooms, 150 infusion chairs, an expanded clinical research center, and public services. In addition to its clinical services, the center offers a wide variety of resources for patients and their families. The building includes garage valet parking and concierge services, centralized registration, a 250-seat dining facility, a gift shop, a retail shop with products for cancer patients, education and resource centers, an art gallery, a conference center, and a chapel. On the third floor, the Stoneman Healing Garden provides patients, families, and staff, with year-round access to nature and a place for quiet respite. The wood- and stone-clad space surrounds visitors with tall plantings, supplemented with vibrant, seasonal displays.

Collaboration between the design team and Dana-Farber’s Patient and Family Advisory Councils resulted in a healing environment that maximizes patient safety and comfort. Two key clinical services—laboratory services for phlebotomy and patient registration—are centralized, streamlining the process for infusion patients. Throughout the building, waiting areas, open infusion rooms, and consultation rooms are located along the perimeter to take advantage of natural daylight and extensive city views.

The Yawkey Center has become an iconic building visible in and around the Longwood neighborhood. The building is designed as a series of glass and terracotta boxes. Volumes are broken and stepped back as the building rises so it does not overwhelm the pedestrian experience.

A project goal was not only to design a healing environment but also to bring nature back into what is a dense high-rise neighborhood. To achieve a park-like setting in an urban, multi-story building, green roofs are located on multiple levels. Each includes native and adaptive plants to mitigate stormwater runoff and provide a habitat for local fauna.