Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
In the rural Midwest, a cancer diagnosis can trigger a logistical puzzle for patients and their families. It is not uncommon for people to travel hundreds of miles to see a disparate set of specialists. With the April Sampson Cancer Center, Ballinger helped Bryan Health and Cancer Partners of Nebraska ease this burden for the over 75,000 Nebraskans diagnosed with cancer every year. The 130,000 SF comprehensive community cancer center consolidates services from multiple sites and offers advanced technology and treatment within a single healing environment close by.
April Sampson Cancer Center by Ballinger received an 2025 American Architecture Honourable Mention from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
Typical of this area of eastern Nebraska’s dissected till plains, the site consists of gently rolling, lightly wooded hills and includes a natural pond. The structure traces the contours of the topography and is built into the slope of the site. The building is a single story on its western, uphill side, where parking and arrival are located. The eastern side is two stories tall with a primarily glass façade; a substantial roof overhang limits glare and solar heat gain.
The building’s lobby is at its narrowest portion and accommodates vertical circulation through elevators and a descending monumental stair with a double-height view of the subtle, yet stunning, landscape. Warm and inviting interiors reinforce a positive patient experience, supporting the mind, body, and spirit of visitors and caregivers while meeting clinical and operational goals.
The primary corridors, art alcoves and lobbies were designed as galleries to display art and serve as areas of respite and reflection. Artwork by 16 painters, sculptors, and photographers was selected to enhance the curative work underway in the building. Skylights, elevated perimeter ceilings, and view corridors aligned with work and treatment areas allow daylight and views throughout the building. A perimeter wood slat system adds warmth and creates a more intimate environment for patients.
Patients and caregivers on both levels enjoy views of the landscape, which has been preserved and enhanced to serve not only as a space for patient rehabilitation and staff use, but also as an amenity for the community.
Cancer can be a traumatic and persistent illness in which patients endure life altering diagnosis, iterative and prolonged treatment regimens, and increasingly, life-mending healing. The center is designed around this continuum of a patient’s experience and strives to enhance the processes of healing by consolidating care and connecting patients to nature.
Architects: Ballinger
Design Team: Louis A. Meilink, Jr., Eric Swanson, Thomas J. Parr, Jr., and Todd Costain
General Contractor: Sampson Construction LLC.
Client: Stephanie Boldt, Bryan Health
Photographers: Albert Vecerka/Esto
