Photo courtesy of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, photography by Nick Merrick @ Hedrich Blessing

Billed as the largest project ever undertaken by UCSD Health Sciences, the $105-million, 273,188-sf facility is the region's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, and one of 39 nationwide. Located on UCSD's East Campus near Thornton Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., the Center brings together 300 scientists and clinicians, and a host of specialized departments for advanced patient care.

The center is comprised of two structures—a three-storey clinical services and administration/education facility and a five-storey research center. The unifying base, consisting of a cancer commons and outdoor gardens, provides a connection between the two buildings. The main entrance is through a three-storey lobby space with clear and direct paths leading to each clinic. Twenty-four exam and procedure rooms, chemotherapy, radiation, oncology, a 30-chair chemotherapy/infusion center, imaging, a pharmacy, physician offices, and support spaces make up the clinical care component. A tranquil, shaded bamboo court outside the lobby and a series of smaller gardens, called the Healing Gardens, offer relaxing settings for patients and their families.

The second floor houses the Cancer Prevention and Control program, which includes administration space for clinical trials, community outreach, and cancer prevention education programs. The Healing Foods Kitchen offers monthly cooking classes educating patients about foods, preparing recipes, and planning meals that emphasize nutritional ingredients. A full-service café is available to staff, patients, and visitors. Located off the Mesa, an outdoor space for dining and interaction, is a 110-seat auditorium and the Cancer Commons, a "living room" space for staff, clinicians, and researchers to meet and exchange ideas. Separated by the open space is a set of research laboratories with office functions on one side and lab support modules on the other. A ghost corridor provides circulation within the lab unit.

The third floor houses additional labs and the Cancer Prevention and Control and clinical trials office spaces. Currently, the Moores Cancer Center has the potential to put up to half of its patients into clinical trials.

The Basic Research program on levels four and five includes wet-bench research laboratories, lab support, and associated office space. Up to 12 research teams will work on a variety of cancers and blood and bone-marrow disorders, as well as pain and end-of-life care. The facility features a Shared Resources non-profit lab for research providing university researchers access to biostatistics, molecular pathology, DNA sequencing, and other equipment and technology. The Institute of Molecular Medicine and components of the College of Integrated Life Sciences, such as the Clinical Investigation Institute, will have access to the fifth floor labs. A penthouse above the laboratory block houses all the lab air handlers and exhaust fans. A self-supporting vivarium with receiving room, loading dock, holding rooms, and washing, staging, and sterilizing facilities is located in the basement.

More than $10 million in the latest imaging technology is housed at the Center. The Trilogy linear accelerator, one of only 12 nationwide, uses narrow bands of high-energy x-rays to destroy cancerous tumors. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and brachytherapy are some of the most advanced treatments available. Functional magnetic resonance imaging equipment has a much higher resolution than conventional MRIs and provides a more detailed picture of where the cancers are and how far they have spread. San Diego's first full field digital mammography (FFDM) machine enables physicians to perform digital mammograms that detect more breast cancers than film-based mammograms. Other imaging services include ultrasound-guided biopsy and stereotatic biopsy.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of California, San Diego
Owner Contact:		Boone Hellmann, FAIA, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Facilities Design & Construction
Building Location:		La Jolla, CA UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Cancer research, treatment, and education
Project Delivery Method:		Construction Management
Project Timeline		Dec 1999 Planning Start Apr 2000 Design Start Nov 2002 Construction Start Apr 2005 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$105,000,000
Construction Cost:		$82,000,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$248
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Biomedical Education Education: Biomedical Healthcare Healthcare: Ambulatory Outpatient Clinic Healthcare: Cancer Center Healthcare: Hospital Healthcare: Imaging Healthcare: Medical School Laboratory Laboratory: Research Laboratory: Wet Research Vivarium
Total GSF:		273,188
Total NSF:		158,034
Efficiency:		58%
Building Population:		300
Building Services:		DI, compressed air, vacuum, oxygen
Special Equip:		MRI, Linear Accelerator, CT Scanners, High Dose Radiation
Office Size:		Various NSF
HVAC Req:		Clinic Building (excludes vivarium and conference center) 165,000 cfm; Vivarium 56,000 cfm; Lab Building (includes conference center) 268,000 cfm
Structure/Foundation:		The Lab Building is a concrete structure comprised of two-way slabs and shear walls supported by conventional footings. The Office Building is a steel moment frame structure supported on conventional footings. The floors are comprised of composite metal deck supported on steel beams and girders.
Laboratory Parameters
Lab Module:		10' 5
Casework Mat'l:		Flush overlay style constructed of maple
Fume Hoods:		41, 6' fume hoods
Biosafety Cabinets:		3, 4' BSC, Class II, Type B-2
Project Team
Architect		Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP
Builder		McCarthy Building Companies Inc.
Consultant - Life Support Systems		Rolf Jensen & Associates
Consultant - Wind Tunnel Testing		CPP Inc.
Engineer - MEP		Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI)
Engineer - Structural		KPFF Consulting Engineers
Laboratory Planner		Earl Walls Associates
Landscape Architect		Katherine Spitz and Associates
Supplier - Accoustical Ceiling Tile		USG Interiors Inc.
Supplier - Biosafety Cabinets		NUAIRE Inc.
Supplier - Building Automation Controls		Johnson Controls Inc.
Supplier - Carpet		Bentley Carpets
Supplier - Casework		Fisher Hamilton
Supplier - Fume Hoods		Fisher Hamilton
Supplier - Furniture		Steelcase Corporate Industries
Profile Created 06/22/2005
Last Updated 04/04/2006
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.

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