Ellison Institute of Technology is centered around changing the soil of cancer research. The design supports this transformation by facilitating collaboration between scientists and thought leaders to encourage discovery. By combining places for research and treatment with transitionary and social spaces for interaction, the Institute inspires innovation and transforms patient wellness in a nature-centric environment that promotes well-being.
The 84,000-sq.-ft. interior incorporates elements like biophilia, light, sound, and other sensorial strategies, connecting to the healing components of nature. Wood planks, plants, and a rich palette of earth-toned fabrics throughout the interior evoke nature in an abstract way.
At the heart of the building, a 3-story atrium creates an open spatial experience, utilizing full-height glazing to support a lush indoor planter with ferns, mosses, and a signature bonsai to surround the central circulation of the Institute.
By creating an open vertical circulation, the design encourages the paths of researcher, patient, and physician to cross and intersect. The cancer clinic, research labs, teaching kitchen, and administration offices all directly tie into the central atrium to reinforce the significance of collaboration and transparency among the Institute’s staff, patients, and visitors. This amplifies the power of collaboration to provide the greatest impact on patient treatment, creating a transformative healing environment.
The program is divided into three types of spaces: research and treatment for focused work, transitionary spaces to encourage interaction and collaboration, and social spaces to promote curiosity and participation. Labs with modern technology and community areas allow doctors and scientists to interact and make a meaningful, positive impact on patients' lives.
The views to the outside and planted terraces revolutionize the indoor-outdoor experience and encourage wellness. Pavilions surrounded by creeping ivy along the terraces provide for impromptu meetings, sheltered from the California sun while immersed in foliage.
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