What does it mean for a facility to be “logical not lavish”? That phrase is one John Balzer uses to describe his philosophy of facility design. In December 2005, Building Operating Management profiled John Balzer, vice president, facility planning and development, Froedtert & Community Health. At that point, work was about to start on a new Clinical Cancer Center on the Froedtert & Community Health campus. I recently had a chance to tour the nearly finished facility to see just what a “logical not lavish” health care facility looks like.

“Logical” could suggest a rather mundane building – a place that’s merely functional. The new Cancer Center, inside and out, is far from mundane. Architecturally, the facility is striking, especially the long, cantilevered, glass façade on the southern face of the center. But the dramatic façade serves a logical purpose: It’s the new southern “front door” to the campus.

From the inside, another reason for all that glass becomes clear: It provides daylight and great views views of the outdoors — from trees and ponds to sweeping panoramas. On patient floors, the main circulation corridor is on the perimeter of the building, so patients will be able to enjoy those views as they go to their appointments. On other floors, glass walls and open areas bring the views and daylight into the interior of the building.

Those aren’t the only ways that the new facility is designed with logic in mind. When bids came in, Balzer found that an additional 70,000 square foot floor could be added at a cost of about $70 per square foot— far less than the cost of adding that space in the future. The extra floor wasn’t in the budget, but by adjusting other elements of the plan, Balzer made it work. For now, the fifth floor won’t be used by the Cancer Center. Rather, other departments will occupy the space. To maintain flexibility for the day when anticipated growth leads the Cancer Center to take over the space, Balzer is putting in demountable walls. The investment will pay off down the road in more ways than one: Not only will the cost of moving in the Cancer Center staff be less than with traditional construction, but the hospital won’t have a small mountain of debris to dispose of.

The difference between logical and lavish depends on one’s priorities. In the design of the Cancer Center, the priority was the patient. The center embodies what’s known as the hub model of patient care, which will bring 13 subspecialties into the cancer facility rather than having patients traipse all across the campus going to other appointments. Getting that done required many departments to take a look at what was logical, not merely from their own point of view, but from the perspective of the patient. The result is a facility that Balzer says is “much more than a building.”