Industry: Medical

Location: Chicago, IL

Completion Date: 2023

Size: 480,000 SF

Design: HDR

Project Management: Jacobs

Project Overview

The Joan & Paul Rubschlager Building at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center is a 10-story, 480,000-square-foot outpatient facility that brings together cancer and neuroscience care under one roof. After supporting the project through six years of planning and coordination, Forward Space partnered with the client and designers to furnish and install solutions throughout nearly every area of the building, helping create an environment that supports exceptional patient care, collaboration, and clinical excellence.

The Design Approach

Working alongside the integrated project team from early design through installation, Forward Space provided furniture, modular walls, and fixtures across virtually every space in the facility. The scope included clinical and public environments such as infusion areas, exam rooms, blood draw spaces, laboratories, retail pharmacy, conference centers, faculty and administrative offices, reception areas, lobbies, and retail spaces.

Products from Steelcase and Via Walls, including Regard, Embold, Surround, and Ology, helped create consistent, durable environments designed to support patients, caregivers, clinicians, and staff. Constructed to meet LEED v2009 Gold Certification standards, the project emphasized sustainability, performance, and occupant well-being.

Outcome

Completed in 2023, the Rubschlager Building represents one of the region’s most advanced destinations for cancer and neuroscience care. Through years of collaboration and careful execution, Forward Space helped deliver a cohesive environment that supports healing, clinical performance, and the evolving needs of one of Chicago’s leading healthcare institutions.

Photography: Darris Lee Harris Photography