Three cancer centers in the Seattle area owe their patient-centered design to the Seattle office of international architecture and design firm Perkins+Will. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the True Family Women’s Cancer Center have recently been completed and the Swedish/Edmonds Cancer Center is currently under construction. All three showcase the work of designers dedicated to creating nurturing environments that emphasize a holistic approach to wellness.

Perkins+Will worked with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, one of the world’s leading centers devoted to the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer, to renovate more than 130,000 square feet across five floors, creating a space that is healthier, more sustainable, and that better supports the work taking place in its labs, conference areas and offices. The center, reopened to patients in the fall of 2012, features dramatic architectural elements including a strong color palette of vibrant reds, full height monolithic glass throughout the building, and a V-shaped circulation corridor running the entire length of the building.

“Unfortunately, almost all of us have had a loved one battle cancer. To be able to create spaces that promote wellness for patients and offer a place of healing for them and their families is an honor,” said Perkins+Will Seattle Managing Director Kay Kornovich.

Earlier this year, the Perkins+Will-designed True Family Women’s Cancer Center, part of Swedish Medical Center, opened its doors to the public. This center, the first of its kind in Washington State, seeks to redefine the traditional gender-neutral approach to treating women with cancer to one that is more integrated and coordinated, bringing together leading specialists, nutritionists, educators, naturopathic doctors, and even art therapists to provide comprehensive care for women and their loved ones. The integration of wood and other natural materials with soft lighting, comfortable furniture, a calming color palette, appropriate signage and an extensive art program help to make the space timeless and comfortable while reducing anxiety for patients and their families.

In addition to these recently completed projects, Perkins+Will Seattle is working with Swedish Medical Center’s Edmonds Campus to develop a different kind of cancer center using flexible, adaptable and sustainable prefabricated units to create the structure. Swedish broke ground on the project in November 2012 and it is expected to open April 2013. The accelerated timeframe for construction demonstrates both the urgency of the need for the new Swedish/Edmonds center as well as the possibilities inherent with modular design.

About Perkins+Will
Established in 1935, Perkins+Will is an international interdisciplinary architecture and design firm founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society. With a staff of 1,500 in 24 locations worldwide, the firm serves clients across a broad range of project types and grounds its work in deep research. Perkins+Will ranks among the world’s top design firms and is the recipient of hundreds of awards. Social responsibility is fundamental to the firm’s outlook, work, and culture, and every year Perkins+Will donates one percent of its design services to non-profit organizations. With pioneering tools to advance sustainable design practices, the largest green building portfolio in North America, and a commitment to the 2030 Challenge, Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry’s preeminent sustainable design firms. For more information, visit: www.perkinswill.com.

According to Healthcare Design, which features Rush on the cover of its July issue, "the 14-floor, LEED Gold-certified Tower successfully reinvents the Rush campus for the future of healthcare and beyond."

The article describes and praises the project and features in-depth quotes by Ralph Johnson, John Moorhead, and Mick Zdeblick. There is particular focus on the collaboration between the design team, the client, and a wide variety of the project's beneficiaries.

Food manufacturers are required to publish the ingredients that go into our food products so consumers can make informed choices about what they eat. So why do we know so little about the products in the buildings where we live and work? As a result, we are unaware of the effect these building materials have on our air quality and health. Perkins+Will is closing the knowledge gap on what goes into the building materials they specify. As more consumers demand this information, design and construction companies are asking the questions and manufacturers are sourcing answers, investigating the composition of their materials and seeking transparency.

The conversation on material transparency began in 2009 with Perkins+Will’s New York office launching the firm’s transparency website, a publically available tool that allows designers to make educated decisions when choosing healthy materials . The database is the result of over two years of review of third party published scientific papers, which identify precautionary substances known or suspected to cause harm to humans and the environment. This research is based on the Precautionary Principle, the idea that in the absence of scientific consensus, an action merits precautionary treatment if it has a suspected risk of causing harm to humans or to the environment. The intent of the list is to encourage the building product marketplace to become more transparent from extraction to end of life for all points of contact, from manufacturers to de-constructors, so that designers and consumers are further empowered make informed decisions about specifying, maintaining and disposing of the products in their buildings.

Perkins+Will is applying the Precautionary Principal wherever possible on materials specified for the projects they design. The firm recently completed the Vancouver Parks Board’s VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre and the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, both projects leading the way in sustainable design and certification. Specifying healthy materials and extracting information on material ingredients from product manufacturers required an in-house team of researchers. The mandates for these projects resulted in many lessons learned as healthy materials were incorporated and the transparency principal applied. The information obtained throughout the design and construction of these facilities will be carried to future projects, developing a portfolio of transparent manufacturers.

Based on this recent experience, Kathy Wardle, Research Director and Associate Principal for Perkins+Will is leading a discussion on Healthy Building Materials at the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. She and her team will explore the four basic steps required to promote product declaration and transparent industries as well as sharing the tools available to learn more about what goes into our buildings and the pollutants we consume indoors. Kathy’s team is eager to disseminate this information. In March 2012 the team delivered a similar presentation to the Board of Vancouver Coastal Health.

“Change in the material supply chain will gain momentum as consumers demand greater accountability from material suppliers. As a firm, we are proud to advocate for material health and share this valuable knowledge with others in our industry,” says Kathy. “Leveraging purchase power will bring about change faster than if we keep this information to ourselves.”

Historically, building product manufacturers haven’t had incentive to disclose the chemical composition of their products. But if large institutions and corporations advocate similar regulations to those we have for the food industry, product declaration will become a recognized standard. When companies like Google get involved, their purchasing power will influence great change and Perkins+Will is confident that by educating local universities and businesses they can drive the healthy materials evolution.