The University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago Medicine) is building Chicago’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services. Aiming to bridge longstanding health disparities on Chicago’s South Side, the $815 million project will consolidate care and about 200 team members currently spread across at least five buildings.
The new facility, which broke ground in September, is expected to open to patients in spring 2027.
Designed by CannonDesign in collaboration with Blue Cottage of CannonDesign and Yazdani Studio, the center will serve both patient and academic needs by supporting the research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer. It will have a capacity for up to 200,000 outpatient visits and 5,000 inpatient admissions per year.
The 575,000-sf, seven-story building, with room for expansion, will offer 80 inpatient beds (64 medical-surgical beds and a 16-bed ICU), 90 consultation and outpatient exam rooms, and an urgent care clinic that protects immunocompromised cancer patients from extended emergency room visits. To promote patient comfort and privacy, private infusion bays will be grouped by cancer type.
To improve the patient experience, the new facility will provide support services for patients and their families—including lifestyle classes, nutrition education, survivor support, music therapy, fitness classes, and a retail store selling cancer-specific products such as wigs or clothing with openings for ports. Family-friendly features also will include showers and on-site laundry machines, inpatient family dining areas, and larger consultation rooms for patients who attend appointments with loved ones.
In addition to a ground floor that serves both the University of Chicago campus and the surrounding neighborhood, amenities include a café, wellness and meeting spaces, public art, educational opportunities, and a publicly accessible garden.
The project will create more than 500 construction jobs and will give at least 41% of $435 million in construction contracts to minority- and women-owned firms.
On the Building Team:
Owner: University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago Medicine)
Design architect and architect of record: CannonDesign
MEP engineer: Affiliated Engineers with RTM Engineers
Structural engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
Contractor: Turner Construction
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%2001-ATRIUM1.png)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%2001-ATRIUM2.png)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%20230512_DUSK%20VIEW%20FINAL_LEADERSHIP%20PRESENTATION.jpg)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%20NE_FINAL.jpg)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%20NW_FINAL.jpg)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%20SE_FINAL.jpg)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%20SITE%20PLAN.png)
![UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center Rendering courtesy CannonDesign](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UChicago%20Medicine%20first%20freestanding%20cancer%20center%20SW_FINAL.jpg)
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 5, 2021
Healthcare design in a post-COVID world
COVID-19’s spread exposed cracks in the healthcare sector, but also opportunities in this sector for AEC firms.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 3, 2021
$545 million patient pavilion at Vassar Brothers Medical Center completes
CallisonRTKL designed the project.
Modular Building | Jan 26, 2021
Offsite manufacturing startup iBUILT positions itself to reduce commercial developers’ risks
iBUILT plans to double its production capacity this year, and usher in more technology and automation to the delivery process.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 16, 2021
New patient pavilion is Poughkeepsie, N.Y.’s largest construction project to date
The pavilion includes a 66-room Emergency Department.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 9, 2021
As mental healthcare is destigmatized, demand for treatment centers is rising
NBBJ is among the firms tapping into this trend.
Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020
Download a PDF of all 2020 Giants 400 Rankings
This 70-page PDF features AEC firm rankings across 51 building sectors, disciplines, and specialty services.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 10, 2020
The Weekly show: The future of medical office buildings, and virtual internship programs
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors spoke with leaders from SMRT Architects and Engineers and Stantec about the future of medical office buildings, and virtual internship programs
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 4, 2020
What hospitals can learn from research labs
5 infection control principles used in high-containment facilities.
Giants 400 | Dec 3, 2020
2020 Science & Technology Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the S+T sector
HDR, Jacobs, and Turner head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Dec 3, 2020
2020 Healthcare Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. healthcare facilities sector
HDR, Jacobs, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest healthcare facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.