Patients seeking a spectrum of outpatient oncological services can receive treatment in a setting tailormade for Orange County residents. Throughout the four-level outpatient clinic, the story of the healthcare group's esteemed brand, Orange County’s world-renowned natural beauty, and the communities just outside the cancer center’s doors are brought together conceptually and expressed through upscale hospitality-style furniture and finishes, views of the Saddleback Mountains from nearly every space, and layouts and materials informed by Feng Shui principles.

Exemplifying how Eastern and Western design and medicine can complement each other, the tenets of Feng Shui are leveraged to establish a harmonious flow of energy through the space and to incorporate biophilic design elements. This is seen in the use of aquatic shades and textures that exude calmness, purity, and freshness and in earth elements, such as walnut paneling, terrazzo flooring, and marble reception desks that ground the space in strength and stability. To infuse the space with a sense of precision and joy, accent finishes and light fixtures are sheathed in metallic shades of bronze and gold.

Campuswide Integration and Hospitality

Originally developed as a comprehensive office park, the backdoor of the cancer center faces three other existing buildings connected by a central landscaped park. With direct access to walkways and benches, the landscaped park provides an escape outdoors for socialization, meditation, and respite for patients, caregivers, and staff. To inform grade changes necessary for patients' ease of access, iterative site analyses were performed. The result is a level valet drop off for the cancer center and specialty hospital. 

For seamless integration on all floors, the cancer center and the specialty hospital were planned simultaneously. This was a strategic approach leveraged to optimize staff efficiency, while creating a harmonious experience for patients. Therefore, many services typically found in hospitals are redistributed into the cancer center to avoid redundancy and reduce costs. On the upper floors, the connections are carefully planned for patients to be transported discreetly to the cancer center in support of patient privacy and dignity. On the first floor, the public connections provide access to the café, family resources center, and pharmacy. 

Patiently Waiting

The design transforms the experience of waiting. Designed with empathy for patients and their families, each individual department within the cancer center—including radiation oncology on the first level, level two surgery waiting, level three clinical waiting, and infusion treatment waiting on the top floor—is designed to accommodate family members comfortably for extended periods. Bright colors and bold patterns infuse an uplifting energy into these spaces, while upscale finishes create a sense of luxury. Pieces from a collection of curated artworks are placed prominently behind reception desks and flanking seating arrangements, accentuating the hospitality-rooted concept. Together, these elements provide the one thing cancer patients’ loved ones can benefit from most: comfort while they wait.

The Patient and Care Team Experience

The high-end aesthetic for which the healthcare brand is known permeates seamlessly into clinical spaces. Warm wood flooring, modern light fixtures, and wood slat detailing are illuminated by an outpouring of healing natural light that streams in through floor-to-ceiling windows. Infusion bays on the top level and pre- / post-operation rooms on the third level wrap the perimeter of each floor to give patients views out to Orange County’s verdant landscape and vistas to the Saddleback Mountains. This design decision puts patients at the heart of the biophilic design concept and ensures its healing benefits are always within reach.

Patients receiving hours-long infusion treatments are given layers of privacy options to enhance feelings of both comfort and control over their environment. Sliding doors finished in frosted glass partition individual infusion bays or can be left open for a more communal treatment experience. Wood slats cover care-team facing doors to allow natural light to stream deep into the floor plate and keep staff and patients visually connected.

Hope From the Inside Out

Helping cancer patients strengthen and nurture their self-confidence exemplifies the healthcare group's whole-person approach. At the boutique, a licensed, oncology-trained cosmetologist works one-on-one with patients to offer specialized products and services, including private salon space for complimentary head shaves, two private dressing rooms where patients can try on post-op mastectomy bras and camisoles, customized fittings for wigs or breast prostheses, and a retail section that sells hats, scarves, non-toxic nail polish, aluminum-free deodorant, and personal care items.  

An Academic-Rich Campus

The cancer center is also designed to expand the organization's capacity to develop more lifesaving treatments. With access to phase 1-3 clinical trials, the design supports the ongoing pursuit of new treatments and enables swift delivery to patients after they are developed. A fully automated clinical lab serves as a conduit for discovery, enabling many tests to be analyzed with minimal analyst input. This expedites efficiency and effectiveness by improving quality assurance and increasing productivity and safety in a hazardous environment, all in the name of developing new ways for preventing and treating cancer.