Video: MCW Center for Cancer Discovery unites a collaborative vision for cancer research in Wisconsin

I got the nod from our client and quickly called my spry 91-year-old mom to jump in her car and drive to the building. If there’s one person in the world I still need validation from, it’s Mom.  

I had always hoped I would design a building in my hometown of Milwaukee, and after more than 30 years as an architect, the CCD is the fulfillment of that wish. 

My mother lives a few miles from the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center and receives all her medical care at Froedtert Hospital on the campus. Thankfully, cancer is not one of her ailments; nevertheless, there is something especially meaningful about designing for a place where my own family receives care. 

From the beginning, Dr. Gustavo Leone, director of the CCD, had a vision for a building that would bring researchers together, accelerate discovery and create stronger connections between science and the people it ultimately serves. As senior design leader for the project, I felt it was my personal responsibility to see our team carry out this bold new vision for the future of cancer care — translating it into a building that completes an important corner of campus, connects seamlessly with surrounding research facilities, and organizes wet and dry labs, offices and shared collaboration spaces in a way that would uniquely fulfill Dr. Leone’s vision.  

I hope that, through this video, you can feel the impact the CCD is already having on the campus and the broader southeastern Wisconsin community it serves. I'm so proud of what our CannonDesign team accomplished with this project, and I can't wait to see how the work happening inside these walls will shape the future of cancer care for generations to come. 

Oh, and by the way, Mom loved it.