Two-and-a-half years after ground was broken at the corner of Lee Street and Jefferson Park Avenue, the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center will officially open to patients on April 4. Two days before the building’s dedication (an event that will feature UVA President Teresa Sullivan and CBS news anchor Katie Couric, sister of the late state senator and building namesake) local media had an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look at the state-of-the-art cancer center.
View from the second floor
Each level of the $74 million, four-floor building has a different theme and color scheme to reflect different elements of Virginia. The first floor represents the Piedmont region; the second floor, the coastal plains; the third floor, the valley; and the ground floor, the largest at 31,000 square feet, the mountains.
Fun facts:
-The center measures approximately 105,000 square feet of space. The top floor, 21,000 square feet, is currently unfinished and was planned for future expansion.
-23 different colors of paint were used throughout the building.
-The building is connected by 95 miles of electrical wire and 14,000 electrical outlets.
-207,000 bricks were used.
-Environmentally sound material was used, and the building is seeking LEED Silver certification.
-A meditation room is located on the first floor.
-The building is equipped with a rooftop garden and several negative pressure rooms.
-Flourish, a positive image boutique, will provide wigs for patients undergoing treatments.
Flourish, "a positive image boutique"
The Meditation Room
The rooftop garden
The unfinished space ready for possible expansion
Infusion rooms