ORCHID FOR ARCHITECTURE

Jury Comments: Is it possible for architecture to be enthusiastically optimistic? The UCSD Moores Cancer Center convinced the jury that it is indeed possible. The grand lobby and the sunlit hallways could not be further from the typical hospital experience. A tranquil bamboo courtyard and a series of healing gardens and terraces at the heart of the building offer relaxing settings for patients, their families and staff. Materials are used with flair and are beautifully detailed. The eye-catching green stainless steel shingles provide a wall of shimmering color. This could have been a behemoth of a building, but the architects took care to break down the scale and create an environment that nurtures. 

UCSD have created an inspirational and relaxing environment for individuals with serious, life-threatening diseases. The facility brings together researchers, clinicians, prevention specialists, and educators under one roof in a “bench-to-bedside” approach to conquering cancer. Although a large, multi-function building, the architects attempted to reduce the scale and create an environment that nurtures a culture of interaction, peacefulness, and patient-friendliness. Encompassing 270,000 square feet, the Moores center is comprised of two structures: a three-story clinical services and administrative/educational building, and a five-story research center. These two wings share a common base and are linked by a series of healing gardens. By combining a series of smaller elements, each with differing heights and mass, the architects created a village atmosphere—rather than a monolithic hospital building. Materials along the exterior elevations reflect the center’s different functions. An aluminum and glass curtain wall distinguishes the laboratory wing. Limestone contrasts against large bay windows along the office and clinical building, while fritted glass accents the canopies and curtain wall spandrel bands. Steel Rimex shingles highlight other functions throughout the structure.

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