M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Pickens Academic Tower
Houston, Texas
The 732,000-square-foot Pickens Academic Tower on the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center campus in Houston, Texas, consolidates and houses administrative and faculty offices, a medical library, a conference center, fitness facility, dining facility, meeting rooms and retail functions.
The mass of the 21-story building has been broken up to emphasize its verticality. The base of the building includes a first-level, pedestrian-scaled arcade and a sky bridge connection to other M. D. Anderson facilities at the third level. The third-level serves as the campus mall, featuring the main dining area, conference and training spaces, as well as several retail components. The top floor has been allocated to the research library, giving staff access to views of the campus and the city from that level. The mechanical penthouse on top of the tower was designed as a lighted lantern to serve as a clearly identifiable beacon for M.D. Anderson within the Texas Medical Center skyline.