ISG has been awarded a circa £50 million project to build The Oak Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden in London.
The striking new building (see artist's impression), at the gateway to the world-renowned cancer hospital and research centre’s Sutton site, will provide new outpatient facilities, medical day care, and collaboration space for clinical researchers to accelerate cancer diagnosis and treatment for patients. Named in recognition of Oak Foundation, which has donated £25 million to the cost, The Oak Cancer Centre will bring together over 400 researchers from across The Royal Marsden’s Sutton and Chelsea sites, in a building designed to stimulate collaboration and speed up development of new cancer treatments. The six-storey, 134,000 ft2 concrete-framed building, scheduled for completion in summer 2022, is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, and will become the centrepiece of an ambitious plan, alongside academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, to create a £1 billion cancer research campus – The London Cancer Hub, in Sutton.
The building has been designed ‘to bring patients and researchers closer together to drive innovation in treatments and outcomes’, with floor layouts and high specification materials selected with the patient experience at the heart. A large ground floor full-height atrium floods the reception with natural light, while the saw tooth roof design allows light to enter, and provides space for a large photovoltaic array.
Constructed on a sloping brownfield site, patient areas extend across the lower ground floor through to level two, with the two upper floors providing space for cancer researchers. Facilities include a Rapid Diagnostic Centre and a new Medical Day Unit designed to provide an optimal chemotherapy treatment environment. Open treatment bay areas at level two are a response to patient and clinician feedback on designs to optimise treatment experiences.
The building ‘has adaptability at its core’, using large open plan floorplates and reconfigurable spaces to future-proof accommodation. The façade incorporates extensive curtain walling and brise soleil solar shading elements.
Lee Hutchinson, managing director for ISG’s Science and Health business, said: “Creating leading-edge healthcare facilities that enable clinicians and researchers to improve patient outcomes is a direct way that the construction industry can make a positive societal impact with a multi-generational legacy.
“The unprecedented nature of this current global health crisis has acutely focused attention on a sector that we all rely upon, and one so intrinsically linked to the physical infrastructure that supports patient outcomes and the research and development that is transformative to our lives. This is a project of major significance for our business, with every member of the delivery team fully focused on creating a world-leading hub for treatment and research into cures for cancer.”
