Moffitt Cancer Center at Southshore opened in January, bringing a state-of-the-art cancer patient experience and clinic outcomes to a fast-growing population in Ruskin, Florida. VHB played an integral role in the new healing environment as both civil engineer and landscape architect. Our integrated approach will help patients, families, and care providers find healing both inside and outside the walls of the new healthcare facility.
The 75,000 square-foot clinic located at 2709 E. College Avenue is a satellite facility of Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, one of the nation’s top cancer treatment centers with survival rates up to 4x the national average. It offers a robust suite of services to Hillsborough County, including cancer screenings, radiation therapy and infusion services, diagnostic imaging, and medical oncology clinics.
VHB took a site-specific approach to landscape design on the nine-acre campus, incorporating plants that complement the architecture, designed by The Beck Group, with an emphasis on enhancing entry and departure. VHB landscape designers built and utilized 3D models to inform decision making with the team, demonstrating what different levels of plantings and other enhancements beyond code minimum requirements would look like.
“The landscape design provides a calming experience and enhances accessibility and continuity of care for patients, caregivers, and staff, with clear lines of sight, seating areas for taking a break, and pockets of lush planting at patient drop-off and departures,” said Ivy Clinton, Gulf Coast Design Studio Lead.
The project also incorporated evidence-based healthcare design principles that included access to natural environments. This supports a patient’s healing and well-being by offering areas of respite and calming views from both inside and outside the walls of the building.
VHB water resources and engineering professionals provided drainage analysis and stormwater management to alleviate flooding impacts, while civil and roadway engineers designed improvements to College Avenue and 27th Street to accommodate access to the site. Our approach included coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders, including Hillsborough County and the Florida Department of Transportation, to help move the project forward.
VHB has also provided integrated civil and landscape services to Moffitt McKinley Hospital, which opened in 2023.
