As the original designers of Geisinger’s Henry Cancer Center (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), FCA was engaged to design this significant expansion. Geisinger Health System wanted to capitalize on the Henry Cancer Center’s overwhelming success in providing accessible local care for Luzerne County’s ever-growing population, while expanding the types of health services provided to include specializations like bone marrow transplants, apheresis, and Cyberknife radiation treatments. The expansion will stand as a new main hospital entrance for the Wyoming Valley Campus, reshaping the arrival experience as part of a holistic approach focusing on health and wellness. This addition, with its state-of-the-art treatment areas and sensitive, context-specific design, acts as a bridge between the existing campus structures and future healthcare environments. The current Henry Cancer Center is LEED Certified and the new building is endeavoring to achieve LEED Certification as well. With a transparent, light-filled lobby welcoming visitors using biophilic design elements, the addition integrates the surrounding green space and healing gardens to improve on the facility’s connection to the Wyoming Valley. By bringing the natural setting inward, keeping it present and visible throughout the interior spaces, the expansion inspires a sense of unity with the world around us, promoting a healthy mind and a healthy body.

Project category: Project in progress

Chief administrator: Roger Williams, director of architecture/engineering, Geisinger Health System

Firm: FCA, www.fcarchitects.com

Design team: FCA (architecture/planning/interior design); Martin Rogers (MEP/FP engineering); O’Donnell & Naccarato (structural engineering); Borton Lawson Engineers (civil engineering)

Total building area (sq. ft.): 104,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $442

Total construction cost (excluding land): $46 million

Completion: June 2023