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
| Feb 14, 2013
5 radical trends in outpatient facility design
Building Design+Construction combed the healthcare design and construction sector to evaluate the latest developments in outpatient facility designs. Here are five trends to watch.
| Feb 14, 2013
Peter Bardwell named 2013 president of the American College of Healthcare Architects
The Board of Regents of the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) has named Peter L. Bardwell, FAIA, FACHA of Columbus, Ohio as 2013 national President.
| Feb 6, 2013
George W. Bush Presidential Center among award-winning roofing projects honored by Sika Sarnafil
Winners of the 2012 Contractor Project of the Year Competition were announced this week by Sika Sarnafil. The annual competition highlights excellence in roofing installation. Roofing contractors are judged based on project complexity, design uniqueness, craftsmanship, and creative problem solving.
| Feb 6, 2013
RSMeans cost comparisons: office buildings and medical offices
RSMeans' February 2013 Cost Comparison Report breaks down the average construction costs per square foot for four types of office buildings across 25 metro markets.
| Dec 9, 2012
AEC professionals cautiously optimistic about commercial construction in ’13
Most economists say the U.S. is slowly emerging from the Great Recession, a view that was confirmed to some extent by an exclusive survey of 498 BD+C subscribers whose views we sought on the commercial construction industry’s outlook on business prospects for 2013.
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Healthcare
Green medical facilities extend beyond hospital walls
| Oct 24, 2012
Loma Linda University Medical Center lets light in with metal wall systems
Designers for the building aimed to create a positive environment for patients and visitors, and wanted to let in as much natural daylight as possible.
| Oct 11, 2012
Hank Adams Named to Lead HDR’s Healthcare Program
With more than 25 years of experience, HDR vice president is tapped to lead firm's healthcare projects.
| Oct 10, 2012
Skanska to Construct Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University Pavilion
Skanska USA announced that it has been awarded an $80 million contract to construct a new Children’s Pavilion at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.