Project name: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – Chestnut Hill
Project overview: The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – Chestnut Hill is a comprehensive outpatient cancer diagnosis and treatment facility. Light filled and welcoming, the adaptive reuse of a former retail site creates a setting to strengthen team-based clinical care that is fundamentally patient focused.
Jury comments: As an adaptive reuse of a shopping mall structure, this project represents a fantastic case study in reinventing failing malls nationwide. Challenging floor-to-floor heights and core-to-perimeter depths were overcome with internal multilevel skylight elements, creating memorable public spaces. Building program and medical delivery model are clearly organized, and the typical windowless exam rooms are eliminated in favor of treatment rooms along a continuous window wall—nature and daylight offering the most effective healing environments. Medical employees also have ample access to daylight and views from their workstations. Curved wood detailing at bench alcoves and infusion rooms provide visual continuity for the patients.
