Calgary’s Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Care Centre, located on the Foothills Medical Centre campus in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, marks a significant expansion of cancer care and research in Canada.

The center brings together ambulatory, acute care, and research facilities, with a design focused on fostering positive psychological responses among patients and visitors.

Trends in cancer center design

Designed by Dialog and Stantec and built by PCL Construction, the design integrates nature, bringing the outdoors inside. Specifically, patients are oriented by an all-season exterior courtyard.

The courtyard is embraced by L-shaped forms that house five ambulatory care communities, comprising the podium of the facility. Promoting a sense of community, this calming green space located at the heart of the building is also open to the public. The concept of “embrace,” a central inspiration for the facility’s design, seeks to envelop patients and visitors in healing elements at every stage of their journey, connecting them with nature, nurturing care communities, and fostering resilience.

Ambulatory programming is thoughtfully arranged around this courtyard, ensuring patients can easily navigate the building with a natural sense of direction. For patients, including those who may be immunocompromised, a lower outdoor courtyard at the building’s center offers a more private connection to daylight and nature.

Inpatient treatment areas feature access to a rooftop garden on Level 8. Additionally, inpatient units maintain a strong connection to Calgary’s landscape, with every room offering views of either the Rocky Mountains or the city’s downtown skyline. This intentional design fosters a sense of familiarity and comfort, especially for patients with extended stays.

Amenity spaces at Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Care Centre

A town hall at the facility’s main entrance serves as a welcoming hub, fostering a sense of community and connection among patients, visitors, and staff.

A Knowledge Centre, located on Level 02, and visible from the town square, the facility’s main entrance, renders visible the ongoing education, teaching and research taking place at Arthur Child.

A spiritual care space, clad in copper and accented with vibrant colored glass, offers a serene environment for quiet reflection, personal meditation, or ceremonial gatherings.

 

Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre project details

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Completion date: October 2024

Owner: Alberta Health Services

Total building area: 1.2 million sq. ft.

Total construction cost: $1.4 billion

Architecture firm: Dialog and Stantec

Interior designer: Dialog and Stantec

General contractor: PCL Construction

Engineer: Dialog (structural, mechanical, electrical), Stantec (structural, electrical), Smith + Andersen (mechanical)

Medical equipment planner: Provided by client, Alberta Health Services/Alberta Health Infrastructure

Builder: PCL Construction

Art/pictures: Images by Dialog, products by Goldray, 3M (custom art); iStock & Shutterstock, products by 3M (stock art)

Carpet/flooring: Imola, Sant’Agostino, Ceramiche Caesar (porcelain tile); Forbo (sheet vinyl) Altro (slip-resistant sheet vinyl); Nora (rubber); Johnsonite Tarkett (static dissipative flooring);  Ecore (rubber sports floor); Sherwin Williams (epoxy terrazzo); Sika (epoxy flooring); J&J Flooring (carpet)

Ceiling/wall systems: Armstrong, CGC

Doors/locks/hardware: CP Distributors

Custom seating: CF Stinson

Headwalls/booms: Amico

Signage/wayfinding: Modulex

Surfaces—solid/other: Nevamar, Formica, Pionite (plastic laminate panels); Wilsonart (solid surface)

Wallcoverings: Carnegie

 

Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Healthcare Design.