The Hillman Cancer Center was designed to support the core missions of the UPMC Cancer Centers: to deliver multidisciplinary patient care; provide the most advanced methods for UPMC Cancer Centers detection, prevention and treatment; conduct cutting-edge research into the cause, course and cure of cancer; and educate the public and health care professionals about cancer.
A 350,000 square-foot building, the Hillman Cancer Center features both a five-story clinical pavilion and a three-story research pavilion. The pavilions are joined together by an atrium designed as a private space, offering patients views of flowering trees, skylights and sculptures of soaring birds as well as the sounds of running water from a granite fountain.
The outer design of the building fits the general design of UPMC Shadyside while the inner design conveys a sense of spaciousness, warmth and support.
By integrating patient care activities and research endeavors, the Hillman Cancer Center provides an ideal environment in which teams of specialists can work together for the benefit of the patient.
Below are some of the unique design features of this facility:
- Provision of all services under one roof to maximize patient convenience and eliminate as much as possible the need to move from place to place for diagnosis and treatment;
- Laboratories designed to maximize collaboration among investigators, to streamline the application of laboratory findings to patient care and facilitate the flow of information about clinical experiences with cancer and its management back to researchers for better understanding and further development and refinement;
- A pedestrian bridge that connects the Hillman Cancer Center to additional cancer services at UPMC Shadyside and the UPMC Cancer Pavilion - the administrative and faculty offices of the UPMC Cancer Centers and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute;
- Full-service conference areas on each floor to connect researchers via teleconferencing capabilities with other researchers across the country or around the world;
- Waiting areas designed so that patients and their families enter a warm and inviting open area outside the exam and treatment rooms;
- Windows and fishtanks built into several treatment and waiting areas;
- Treatment rooms designed to allow family members to sit next to patients while they undergo treatment;
- An underground garage providing valet parking for patients and visitors, with elevator access to all levels of the clinical pavilion;
- Concept art throughout the center that emphasizes healing, beauty and inspiration.
The entire exterior of the Hillman Cancer Center and the research pavilion was designed by IKM, Inc. The interior of the clinical pavilion was designed by Radelet McCarthy, Inc. Contractors and construction managers for the project were P.J. Dick, Inc. and The Massaro Co.
IKM Incorporated is an architectural, engineering and interior design firm that has been in continuous practice since 1908. Over this long history, the firm has been responsible for such notable projects as the Pittsburgh Board of Education Administration Building, the Buhl Planetarium and Chatham Village.
Radelet McCarthy is a firm of architects, interior designers and space planners located in downtown Pittsburgh. The firm was established in May of 1993 by principals John T. Radelet and Janet M. McCarthy. Radelet McCarthy was born out of the strong desire of both partners to utilize this broad-based experience but to offer it to their clients in a smaller, more responsive environment.
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