Project category: New construction & Remodel/Renovation (completed March 2003)

Chief administrator: Kathy McCollum, Vice-President, Executive Director, (410) 787-4444

Firm: Cannon Design, (410) 234-1155

Design team: Ray Moldenhauer, Project Principal; Kenneth Wiseman, Design Principal; J. Kent Muirhead, Project Designer; John Reitz, Project Manager; Luis Posada, Project Architect

Photography: Michael Dersin

Total building area (sq. ft.): 63,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $270

Total cost (excluding land): $17,000,000


The four-story, 60,000-square-foot North Arundel Hospital Tate Cancer Center provides treatment services in both medical and radiation oncology. Beyond providing a functional and efficient environment for healthcare delivery, design goals included the creation of a positive patient experience in a facility that optimizes staff performance and aids in staff recruitment and retention. Complementing an existing campus icon, the sculptured vertical elevator core, cantilevered concrete canopy, and careful delineation of the building forms establish a signature image reflecting the advanced healthcare technology contained within.

The center’s environment positively affects treatment outcomes and the attitudes of patients, their families, and medical staff. Private staff areas are separate from treatment functions, with views to the same healing gardens that bring a sense of calm and well-being to patients. Patient and staff access points also have been separated.

Designing the building around the garden by carving out the west portion of the site allowed for the creation of a dynamic setting. On the second level, a bright and airy 12-bay infusion area for outpatient chemotherapy overlooks the terraced healing garden.

In the linear accelerator treatment area, designers sought to create an environment offering distraction and escape from the immediacy of treatment. Because visual stimulation was key, theatrical/retail lighting was chosen to create different moods and motifs. The ever-changing color evolution is directed from the control area with preprogrammed schemes, allowing technicians to alter the schemes to suit patient preference. This is the first time this lighting application has been used in a healthcare environment.