That's a great point. It's pretty clearly looking north from Maryland and 57th, not Drexel. As for the design, I think it looks fine. I don't expect much from hospitals, and, as far as I'm concerned, this is just one more utilitarian building on the medical school campus surrounded by other utilitarian buildings.

One problem is that with the mass of these big science and medical buildings, they have abandoned the University's typical quadrangle layout and line them up against the street. So you end up with a lot of concrete and asphalt at the street level.

I'm curious to see what the main entrance looks like. There doesn't appear to be one in the photo that was released. So perhaps it is on the opposite side of the building. Although it's rather curious the entrance faces away from the ER and CCD.

But I hope people will send comments / suggestions to University and Alderman.
They made some changes to the Sophy Hotel when people thought it looked a bit suburban.

The medical school campus doesn't even pretend to use a quadrangle layout. It's now just a collection of massive structures connected by skybridges. That's not ever going to change. Frankly, I view it as a separate campus altogether.

From the rendering, the main entrance looks like it might be on Maryland across from the entrance to the street level entrance to Parking Lot B. That would make sense, but it's hard to tell from what we've got here.

On a practical level, why would the medical campus ever use a quadrangle layout? It's not very efficient or even logical in terms of program; maximum floorplates and connectivity between separate specialty hospital buildings (via skybridges, like here) is ideal, and the UCM campus has that.

I don't insist that a quadrangle is the only option--but the idea that the only thing that matters is to squeeze as much square footage into as little room as possible isn't the best policy. And it could be used to justify turning all of campus into a single megaskyscraper. There are, of course, other kinds of considerations. The Cleveland Clinic has been criticized for its ugly, sterile, car-choked campus:

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/...ommentary.html

For what it's worth, I don't think there's much of a risk of the rest of the campus being turned into a forest of skyscrapers. Chicago zoning requirements stipulate that the contiguous campus of the University must be compatible with the character of the campus and surrounding neighborhoods, and each one of the defined sub-areas of the planned development zone have discrete building height, setback, and massing requirements. The only places I'd think we can expect to see new high-rise facilities on the contiguous campus would be at the medical school, the north sciences quad, and south of the Midway.

The new science and engineering building will be built on a quad, and the university has taken some pains to develop the north science quad or whatever they call it into a true quad and add the court yard.

I think UChicago can live with one street like Maryland Ave. with a mass of buildings, but I hope as campus expands in the future these types of streets will be limited. And the zoning you mention should help.

Anywho, Trip reports cancer hospital will be more expensive and larger than originally expected but with fewer beds. 80 in stead of 128. However, it appears there will be plenty of "shell space" to build out in the future. So it appears the facility will eventually be back to 128 beds.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...mfi-story.html

New photo

https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/..._Rendering.jpg

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/2/...ancer-hospital

CannonDesign?

Update project docs filed with state:

https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/hfsr...r%20Permit.pdf

Yikes - nicer render, but it's just such a bland behemoth. I mean, it's a hospital, so the really REALLY important features are on the inside, but nevertheless, the exterior/massing design is just incredibly imposing, unwelcoming and simultaneously bland.

^^ Totally agree. That one side wall is stark. At least put a swooping cut out somewhere in there.

It is big--we can agree about that. And the most expensive building the University has built to date. But it does have a certain massive box look. Even the parking garage across the street may have a bit more pizazz.

They claim they already made some changes based on patient and community comments. So be sure to send them suggestions for design improvement.

Construction on Harper Court Phase II, aka Hyde Park Labs is underway:

https://www.costar.com/article/11779...ity-of-chicago

New pics and details released:

https://chicago.urbanize.city/post/f...-cancer-center

https://chicago.urbanize.city/sites/...?itok=QgqMifx3

https://chicago.urbanize.city/sites/...?itok=1gRTygax

https://chicago.urbanize.city/sites/...?itok=60spD05a

https://chicago.urbanize.city/sites/...?itok=WMdBFwOi

https://chicago.urbanize.city/sites/...?itok=2r8sTS_f
[img]

Thanks for posting those and for the link. It might be an unpopular opinion here, but I like the renderings. I particularly like the inclusion of the pocket park at the southeast corner, and the sensitivity of surrounding the drop-off on Drexel with landscaping. For that side of the building, at least, I think this will make vastly improve the built environment.

I agree. I was very happy to see that pocket park. It also helps to see the building from more angles. It's not quite the box I expected. I don't know whether there have been changes--such as adding the park--or whether it was simply not mentioned or shown earlier.

Meanwhile, these are other dedicated cancer hospitals in other major cities, recently completed or under construction:

https://www.arch2o.com/wp-content/up...nter-hks-5.jpg

https://www.mcw.edu/-/media/MCW/News...ering-2022.jpg

https://content.api.news/v3/images/b...9909dbc38e995f

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...pjpg&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...pjpg&auto=webp

https://images.adsttc.com/media/imag...jpg?1477111315

Miesian "Less is more" international style design mentality is a relic from a bygone era, yet it still dominates Chicago design, for no reason other than it being considered the de rigueur status quo within the closed circle of Chicago design elites.

Form can and should follow function, but that doesn't mean that a design should be utterly banal and forgettable, like UCM's new building, especially given what other comparable institutions are building. Then again, UCM's campus is forgettable to begin with because leadership within the organization is exceptionally out of touch and have no desire to be considered cutting edge, even when it comes to their overall practice philosophy. I worked on numerous feasibility and design studies as well as 15 interior renovation, build-out and new construction projects for the hospital system there for a number of years. They genuinely do not give a shit, regardless of how hard their marketing department tries to paint them as that; I'll be happy to name names.

I don't see anything here that's better than what's being built in Hyde Park. *Maybe* Rutgers.