WILKES-BARRE, Pa.—The recently completed expansion of the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center (HCC) was led by the architecture design and planning firm FCA.

The Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., tapped FCA to create an expansion that would accommodate anticipated growth and increased demand for services. To this end, FCA completely redesigned the entry experience with a new Main Hospital drop-off circle entry, lobby, and various first-level amenities.

Biophilic principles were also incorporated throughout the interiors, with patterns, textures, and colors found in nature on display throughout.

The existing structure now has a refreshed lobby, in addition to blood draw services, 44 infusion spaces, and 6 apheresis treatment spaces. The radiation oncology suite has also been bolstered with 15 exam rooms, two new linear accelerators, and a new CyberKnife S7. The outcome is a state-of-the-art, four-story facility spanning over 92,000 square feet, equipped with the latest technology and expanded treatment options.

Located at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA, The Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center (HCC) provides accessible, expert cancer care for the nearly one million residents of Northeast Pennsylvania. Due to an above-average rate of positive diagnoses and anticipated future volume, Geisinger identified a need to increase access to a broader range of Oncology services. Originally designed and conceptualized by FCA, Geisinger once again engaged the leading architecture, design and planning firm to implement an addition that would accommodate future growth of both volume and services.

The new four-story expansion features an undulating facade that welcomes arriving patients to the new entrance. Serving not only the HCC, the new building is intended to complement the existing hospital, using state-of-the-art design to reinvent the entry to the campus. A two-story lobby anchors the building with a transparent entry, providing easy navigational cues that guide patients and visitors into the space. On the upper levels, fritted glass playfully lends to a rhythm on the exterior that follows the structure’s form. The striations of the fritting mimics the natural setting of the environment that surrounds the campus and helps to bring together the various functions within each floor of the building. The interior design concept focused on incorporating biophilic principles into the spaces, including views of nature, natural materials, imagery and patterns. The lobby’s interior features abstract designs of local mountain views that are captured by the layering of wood-like materials and lighting that hugs the lobby’s walls, creating a beautiful backdrop for the space. The interior design continues to reference patterns, textures and colors found in nature from hexagonal patterns in privacy glass and ceramic mosaic tiles at elevators to watercolor impressions of natural settings in family lounges––the clever use of materials result in a calming and comforting atmosphere throughout the property.

The updated cancer center now boasts a drop-off circle at entry, retail pharmacy, the Goodness Bar Café, Hydra Health, and Women’s Imaging suite on the first level which, due to the steep site conditions, aligns with the existing second level.

The third level includes an updated infusion services lobby, blood draw services, pharmacy, 44 infusion spaces, and six apheresis treatment rooms nearly doubling the size of the existing infusion center. The center’s proximity to the radiation oncology suite allows for a more centralized check-in process, improving ease of access for patients. Floor three also houses a 45-room multi-specialty exam and procedure suite, in addition to a palliative care, gynecologic oncology, and radiation oncology suite outfitted with two new linear accelerators and a new CyberKnife S7. This level’s connectivity to the hospital provides rapid access to caregivers responding to medical emergencies.

Level four features an expanded Medical and Surgical Oncology clinic that is contiguous to the existing HCC clinic, allowing for improved facilities for tumor boards, multidisciplinary clinics, and clinical research.  This floor will also include a staff respite space with an area for quiet contemplation, meditation or yoga practice. This provides employees with dedicated space to decompress without being too far away from their patients.

Finally, Level 5 features 18 new private inpatient acuity beds for both critical care and oncology, four of which will be AII/PE combination ante rooms, specifically designed to support patients undergoing Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT). Similar in concept to the third floor, the design connects the new addition to the existing hospital tower, allowing for rapid response teams and other functions to readily access the oncology unit. The placement of this unit on the top floor was deemed vital by FCA’s team to avoid unnecessary foot traffic, given the severe immunosuppression that typically accompanies BMT care.

The newly expanded Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center offers exceptional care, a multitude of cutting-edge treatment options, and the latest technology in a 92,000-square-foot, four-story, state-of-the-art facility. Expanding access to advanced forms of care for the local community and surrounding area, the updated space is indicative of the medical center’s continued commitment to wellbeing.

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When the image of a hospital comes to mind, most envision a similar setting: fluorescent lighting, various mechanical noises, white tile floors, eggshell painted walls and the smell of disinfectant. For some visitors, these environmental components can evoke feelings of unease and even anxiety.

This however could be changed by biophilic design, a practice slowly gaining momentum in medical facilities. Biophilic is derived from the term, “biophilia,” meaning “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.” This term introduces the idea of incorporating natural materials, light, views and vegetation into the modern world.

Singapore’s Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) KTPH, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Jurong Community Hospital are the only hospitals considered to have an extensive biophilic design in Asia. As research has linked green buildings to positive effects on people’s health, more studies are needed to determine the link between biophilic design and patient recovery in healthcare settings, according to Prof. Lam Khee Poh, dean of the National University of Singapore’s School of Design and Environment. However, these studies are limited as few hospitals worldwide have such designs, he added.

The ultimate goal of this design is aimed to influence patient and staff’s psychological and physiological response to their own space, further creating a more helpful healing environment and reducing the length of patient stay.

The first example is KTPH, a $700 million, 590-bed general and acute care hospital, which opened June 2010, and includes 10,957-square-feet of greenery, winning the inaugural Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award Dec. 2017 for its exemplary plant and water features. Its design infuses a rainforest-like atmosphere with a cascading waterfall flowing into a central garden courtyard, rooftop gardens and planter boxes along corridors and outside wards provide patients with green views, and the hospital grounds even open out into Yishun Pond. The hospital’s public areas are also naturally ventilated by louvres on the facade which channel wind throughout the interior while blocking out direct sunlight, according to a statement.

With these features, the “sterile” sensation of a hospital can be mitigated, creating something more pleasing to all senses with the sight of lush green, sound of flowing water and the smell of fragrant plants.

Another example examines NTFGH and Jurong Community Hospital, which the design process being pushed by the idea of creating a healthy and healing environment for patients, said Mr Foo Hee Jug, chief executive officer of NTFGH, according to a statement.

Built in June 2015, the combined 1,100 room, $461 million pair of hospitals, which are managed by JurongHealth, have won several awards for design and environmental sustainability, including the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment Top Ten Awards in 2017. The hospitals’ fan-shaped wards with windows for each patient increase ventilation, with planters providing a green view. There are also 15 gardens, including one for intensive-care unit patients, and ward towers are orientated to optimize day lighting while reducing glare. Staff are also not forgetting about, with a light well providing natural lighting at a relaxation area for backend staff who work in the basement.

Since adopting this design, KTPH has achieved 33 percent less energy use than that of conventional hospitals, with NTFGH and Jurong Community Hospital reducing energy use by 30 percent, more than $5 million savings in electricity bills, and nearly $100,000 in water savings.

But, there are still challenges in implementing biophilic design, not least as many healthcare institutions are still largely seen as sterile environments, and there are concerns about increased maintenance cost. An increase in pests like insects and the amount of dead leaves, which can clog up drains, are examples of the problems that some hospitals would rather avoid, says KTPH director of hospital planning Donald Wai, according to a statement.

KTPH uses neem oil, an non-toxic organic substance, on the plants so as to deter pests.

“I feel that the management of each healthcare facility needs to embrace this green philosophy,” said Wai. “The biophilic environment is not just meant to allow patients to walk about, feel relaxed and to recuperate, but also to make our staff feel that they are in a very calm and relaxing environment.”

Prof Lam adds that he believes there is a good chance that biophilic design can have a long-lasting impact on health.

“To me, it’s not so much the cost but what value are you getting out of it. If you invest well, you’re going to get the returns many, many times over,” Lam said. “And if you design it well and integrate it well from the beginning, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will cost a lot more.”

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