Tennessee Oncology - Elliston Place Plaza

Project Statement

Elliston Place Plaza demonstrates design excellence and thoughtful innovation. Integrated planning and evidence-based design strategies support a calm, efficient, and human-centered experience. A comprehensive cancer center including treatment, exams, pharmacy, research, and imaging functions was delivered to minimize patient transfers, shorten visit durations, and strengthen continuity of care.
Material selections reflect neighborhood character while establishing identity for this premier cancer treatment destination. Pedestrian-scale amenities and a transparent glass lobby enhance passive safety and welcomes the public. Sustainability strategies—including a green roof, bioretention ponds, and a separated sewer system—reduce runoff, support energy performance, and enhance site ecology.
A layered daylighting strategy brings natural light deep into interior spaces while maintaining privacy and comfort. The project uses floor-to-ceiling curtain wall, transoms in exam rooms, clerestory windows in the blood draw lab, and demountable walls in infusion bays to share borrowed light.
Infusion bays are located at building corners to capitalize on expansive glazing, restorative views of site vegetation, and a visual connection to the community— reducing stress and anxiety, improving staff well-being and performance, and enhancing patient comfort. Nature-inspired elements create a calming environment that supports healing, emotional resilience, and wellbeing for patients, caregivers, and staff.
Evidence-based design is expressed through choice and personalization within the infusion environment. Private infusion rooms provide dignity, quiet, and refuge during moments of pain, vulnerability, or fatigue—allowing patients to control their level of interaction. Conversely, community infusion bays accommodate family presence and peer support.
Safety and security measures are embedded in the design without creating an institutional atmosphere, including discrete security touchdown points in the lobby. These support a strong connection to the street level while protecting patients, visitors, and staff. A strategically positioned concierge desk provides visual oversight of the concourse, elevator lobby, and patient drop-off areas—reinforcing intuitive navigation and a consistent sense of support and security.
Operational performance is strengthened through standardized infusion bays and exam rooms that reinforce consistent workflows, allow staff to flex during peak demand, and improve throughput. Centralized lab and pharmacy services reduce redundant clinic operations by standardizing processes and outputs, improving quality and efficiency. Staff experience is supported through conveniently located wellness and break rooms, a large staff lounge, and an outdoor terrace that provides a chance for respite throughout the workday.

Design for Equitable Communities: This project demonstrates design excellence by extending care beyond the clinic walls—strengthening the public realm, supporting well-being, and investing in long-term resilience. At the street level, it promotes human connection and access through pedestrian-scale design moves, including a transparent, welcoming lobby and amenities that encourage community interaction, such as integrated outdoor seating and bike infrastructure that supports alternative transportation choices. The design team focused on designing places that help communities thrive socially, economically, and environmentally by intentionally balancing safety with openness through clear wayfinding, concierge oversight, and discreet security measures that preserve a calm, non-institutional experience for all users.

 

Design for Ecosystems: Environmental performance and climate readiness are integrated as visible infrastructure. A green roof system routes rooftop stormwater to bioretention ponds to reduce runoff and delay peak flows while also mitigating heat island impacts; the project further improves municipal performance by separating an existing combined storm sewer system. These strategies reinforce the call to broaden impact beyond the property line and to embrace resilience through solutions that support community health and long-term adaptability. Finally, evidence-based, biophilic design elevates the patient and staff experience—using layered daylighting, views to nature, and warm, contextually grounded materials to reduce stress and support comfort and performance—demonstrating how thoughtful design can advance both human outcomes and a more equitable, welcoming community environment.

 

Design for Water: This project achieves design excellence by treating water as visible, high-performing infrastructure that improves both site resilience and the surrounding urban watershed. The project routes all rooftop stormwater through a green roof system and then into bioretention ponds to reduce runoff, delay peak flows, and mitigate urban heat island effects. This manages rainfall responsibly and reducing pressure on municipal systems through nature-based, on-site strategies. By also separating an existing combined storm sewer system, the project improves overall site performance and reduces strain on municipal infrastructure - extending the project’s benefits beyond the property line and supporting long-term community resilience. Importantly, the water strategy is integrated with the public realm and user experience rather than treated as back-of-house engineering. Pedestrian-scale amenities - including integrated seating within a vegetated bioretention containment system - reinforce community well-being while demonstrating how green infrastructure can deliver co-benefits such as comfort, ecology, and stewardship at the street edge. Together, these measures reflect an approach that conserves and improves water quality, manages stormwater close to where it falls, and leverages landscape systems to create a healthier, more resilient place for patients, staff, and neighbors alike.


Design for Well-being: This project achieves design excellence in well-being by pairing evidence-based oncology planning with a calm, human-centered environment that supports patients, caregivers, and staff. The infusion experience is intentionally designed to provide choice—open bays that encourage family presence and peer support alongside private rooms that offer dignity, quiet, and refuge—helping patients control their level of interaction during treatment. A layered daylighting strategy brings natural light deeper into clinical areas (including expansive glazing, transoms, and clerestories) to reduce stress and anxiety while improving staff well-being and performance. This aligns with AIA’s emphasis on access to natural light as a foundational driver of health. Biophilic elements such as integrated planters, a moss wall, and curated art strengthen connection to nature and create a restorative atmosphere that supports emotional resilience. Wellness and break spaces—including a staff break room connected to an outdoor terrace—provide daily opportunities for restoration, helping teams reset and sustain focus in a high-intensity care setting.