Martini Northern, construction managers and general contractors based in Portsmouth, recently completed construction of a 25,500 s/f adult cancer care clinic for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and New Hampshire Oncology-Hematology, P.A. This diagnostic and treatment-oriented facility, an addition to the Elliot Medical Center at Londonderry, incorporates design elements complementary to the existing facility. Large, open windows and inviting building materials blend the building with the surrounding landscape and welcome patients and staff.
With the fast-track schedule of the project in mind, the design team, including architectural firm CUBE 3 Studio and engineering firm AKF Engineers, managed multiple challenges inherent with medical facility construction. Among these were the incorporation and coordination of extensive mechanical and electrical systems required to support state-of-the-art medical equipment. Working in conjunction with Martini Northern, the team's ability to balance the implementation of this technology without compromising the experience of the patients or staff is one area where the project found success.
While LEED certification was not pursued, it was important to select environmentally friendly, carcinogen free materials, including low VOC carpets, cork and linoleum flooring. CUBE 3 Studio worked with patient groups from Dana-Farber to ensure that the facility would be patient friendly and conducive to healing.
With its completion, residents now have convenient access to the clinic's 20 treatment and infusion rooms, 12 exam rooms with ancillary medical services such as reike and massage treatment, as well as a dedicated clinical trial department. Supporting these spaces are multiple nurses' stations, a pharmacy, and a multi-purpose room for in-house training and seminars. Waiting rooms and reception areas, with views to the exterior landscape, allow daylight to penetrate into the building's common areas. The resource library will serve to educate families and increase cancer awareness through prepared brochures, internet-ready computers, and informational sessions given by the staff. Physician offices, staff break rooms and work areas are also provided with external views and direct access to daylight.
Perhaps the greatest success of the new facility is that it will provide local world-class cancer care for New Hampshire residents who previously had to travel to Boston for their care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Having easier access to quality care was the universal goal since the project's earliest stages, and with the facility's ribbon cutting, that goal was achieved.
This building was designed in association with Anagnost Investments as the representative for the Elliot Health System.