Sarah Cannon - Centennial Medical Center Oncology MOB

Project Statement

As a global leader in cancer research and care, our client focuses on providing greater access to innovative therapies to patients close to home. Including a patient treatment clinic, lab, pharmacy, and administration, Centennial MOB brings together cutting-edge cancer treatments, advanced diagnostics and research into one location, providing convenient access for patients and their support systems.

It is important in cancer treatment clinics to be strategic in program adjacencies and travel distances as the treatments can take a lot of energy out of the patients. It was also just as important to our client and our team that the patient journey feel welcoming and experiential throughout the clinic. Our client occupies three floors of the building: 2, 3, and 4. The clinic is located on the 2nd floor and is dedicated to providing treatment and care. We wanted the patient journey to be welcoming and experiential throughout the clinic. One example of this goal brought to life is the main corridor that takes patients from the clinic entry to the various treatment and support spaces. The corridor features continuous clerestory windows that flood this interior space with natural light. It also features a wood-look vaulted ceiling where several delicate, gold pendants are sprinkled throughout and hung at various heights to create an experience unlike that of a typical clinic corridor.
With this client we always have a goal to take lessons learned from past project experiences. One of the lessons learned that evolves project to project is the treatment bay casework and how it can be more functional for the staff and patients while maintaining an aesthetic of furniture one might have at home. Some custom features included are: decorative, semi-transparent glass for a sense of privacy between bays, metal tapered legs for ease of cleaning, and strategic placement of clinic equipment to maintain the furniture aesthetic.

Our client supports creating a high design aesthetic for both patients and staff. We wanted the patient experience to feel like home but also wanted to reflect the surrounding community of Nashville in the finish selections and applications. To create this feeling, we drew inspiration from the many luxurious, yet warm and welcoming, Nashville hotels. Finishes, decorative lighting fixtures, and furnishings were selected that could also be used in a hospitality setting, therefore, giving the spaces an upscale, yet welcoming, presence.

Framework for Design Excellence Narrative

Design For Integration

The new drug development unit at the new City View Medical Plaza is on the front lines on humanity's fight against cancer. The research and treatment space supports Sarah Cannon's mission of redefining cancer care around the world through clinical excellence and cutting-edge research.

By partnering with Sarah Cannon, their patients, and their care teams, the design team was able to design a space that supported best-practice processes and workflows while also creating a warm and comforting environment for a vulnerable patient population. As with the hippocratic oath, the design approach framed each ethical, and sustainability opportunity with "first, do no harm."


Design For Equitable Communities

Current and former patients, caregivers, and research staff were engaged in the design of the new space. Former patient feedback lead to program inclusions such as the community hub and other respite areas that support patients and families.

Sarah Cannon is focused on advancing therapies for patients, it is one of the world’s leading clinical research organizations conducting community-based clinical trials throughout the United States and United Kingdom. Sarah Cannon’s network of strategic sites includes more than 275 physicians who engage in research. The organization has led more than 600+ first-in-man clinical trials since its inception in 1993, and has been a clinical trial leader in the majority of approved cancer therapies over the last 10 years.


Design for Economy

At the time of this project's construction, similar project were being constructed for $125-$150/sf. The project relies on manufactured construction systems such as demountable walls/doors, and modular casework to reduce costs. Administration spaces were redesigned during construction and the COVID pandemic to capitalize on providing staff ultimate flexibility.


Design For Wellbeing

Since the project is an oncology research and treatment space care was when selecting materials and finishes. All finishes were from the Mindful Material catalog. Natural ventilation could not be incorporated due to the immuno-compromised patients/clients.


Design For Resources

To the greatest extent possible locally sourced and manufactured materials were utilized including tile and flooring. Materials with recycled content were also highly utilized including steel studs and casework.


Design For Change

Given the project was started before the COVID 19 pandemic and revised during the pandemic itself, the space is strategically prepared for change and adaptation. Demountable partitions and doors make up a large portion of the interior and can be moved, repanelized and/or refinished as the needs of Sarah Cannon and their patients evolve over time. Research space like the lab and pharmacy are organized on an open chasis with modular casework and workstations that can be reorganized to meet the demands of the future research.