New Haven, CT – Smilow Cancer Hospital, which saw its first patients in October 2009 and is scheduled for completion this month, gives Yale-New Haven Hospital an integrated cancer facility and a new landmark for its urban campus.
Designed by the Boston architecture firm of Shepley Bulfinch, Smilow consolidates and expands oncology services previously scattered across the Yale-New Haven campus. With an emphasis on operational efficiency and patient care, the 516,000sf, 168-bed hospital reinforces Yale-New Haven’s reputation as one of the 40 Comprehensive Care Centers in the US as designated by the National Cancer Institute. Medical education for Yale Medical School is integrated into the facility, with a simulation center that accommodates on-site post-simulation discussion space.
The building is sited on the last available lot of the hospital’s main block. Adjacent tall bed towers, built between 1960 and 2000, connect to a central atrium. To fit into this arrangement, the new building addresses not only its neighbors on the site, but also the surrounding urban context on both a city and pedestrian scale. Through custom colors and profile, the solution of a unitized terracotta rainscreen system blends the existing campus color palette into a warm single color, creating variety by responding to light conditions and utilizing texture to create variation.
The project focuses on making connections, with a two-story lobby that leads directly from the central atrium and a five-story glass bridge that connects to the Children’s Hospital to support integrated treatment.
At the heart of the design is the principle of providing medical treatment in a different way, putting “person before patient,” with clear wayfinding and spaces that offer welcome and reassurance. As part of the hospital’s commitment to patients, a patient council was established as part of the design process to provide input and feedback for the project.
Program highlights include a specialized women’s cancer center, which accommodates holistic and complementary therapies; Yale-New Haven Breast Health Center; and 12 operating rooms; as well as outpatient treatment rooms, infusion suites, diagnostic images, and therapeutic radiology. The MR/OR brings radiological and surgical services into one operating suite, a significant boost to patient treatment and surgical outcomes.
The 14-story hospital is targeting LEED Silver certification. Sustainable design elements include generous access to natural light; an optimized HVAC system; the use of low-VOC materials and indoor air quality monitoring systems; and a high-efficiency, unitized curtain wall system and terra cotta rainscreen façade.