City of Hope Newport Beach Fashion Island Cancer Center
PROJECT NARRATIVE
The goal of this LEED-CI-certified, 11,530-square-foot cancer treatment center was to deliver more accessible medical oncology and infusion services to patients in the region, whose closest comparable facility had previously been nearly 50 miles away. The project began with a challenge, as the desired program required more square footage than the existing building could accommodate; working collaboratively with a group of clinical advisors, the design team adjusted the program to fit the available space by relocating the main stair to create a more compact circulation core, freeing up room for a large, welcoming lobby. The resulting entrance is studded with windows that accent a tall ceiling and sweeping glass-railed staircase, with muted tones, pops of bright color, and natural materials like wood, stone, marble, and live greenery creating a sense of spaciousness and calm. A bold feature wall extending to the ceiling, paired with a ceiling-mounted array of dimensional vertical wood panels, defines the patient check-in area and provides a greater sense of privacy. The first floor also houses a medical oncology clinic with 10 exam rooms, physician offices, and MA stations, along with a lobby-adjacent conference room that supports telemedicine conferencing with a partner campus.
The second-floor features 17 infusion bays, two of which are semi-private, allowing patients to choose a more social or private setting, with two large RN stations positioned centrally to provide visual access to all bays. Bays include large windows and are separated by glass privacy dividers that fade from frosted white to deep blue, while accent walls near the RN stations feature calming abstract graphics evocative of blue agate geodes; the infusion area also opens onto an outdoor patio for patients, and the second-floor staff lounge includes its own private patio. Delivered on a compact six-month construction schedule, the project required close collaboration with the general contractor, owner, and broader project team to stay on track; that coordination helped secure over-the-counter plan check from the city, expediting the construction administration process and keeping the project on schedule despite design changes made during construction.
