Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center

The Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center represents a transformative step forward in the delivery of comprehensive cancer care, research and wellness. The 12-story, 520,000-sq.-ft.  facility is the state’s first and only freestanding cancer hospital—and one of just thirteen such institutions in the nation. It brings together the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and RWJBarnabas Health, uniting advanced clinical services, groundbreaking research and holistic wellness programs under one roof. Centrally located in New Brunswick, the Center ensures New Jersey residents no longer need to travel to New York or Philadelphia for world-class cancer care.

Design Solutions

The design emphasizes the patient journey—creating a place of healing where architecture, landscape and community intersect.

A Healing First Impression

A cancer diagnosis brings disruption and anxiety. For many patients, simply arriving at a hospital can be overwhelming. The design treats arrival as the first opportunity to reduce stress and foster confidence. The building’s prominent terracotta “Prow” facade anchors the street corner, providing a clear visual landmark for visitors approaching by car. A protected drop-off with barrier-free paving, seating and landscaping offers a normalized, calming environment for patients as they arrive.

The experience continues inside, where a four-story daylit atrium serves as the center’s living room. Patients and visitors immediately see registration, testing and imaging—reducing uncertainty with easy wayfinding. Lush plantings and a sculptural spiral stairway achieve a sense of lightness and peace. Staff enter through a direct bridge from parking into the same welcoming environment, with ample daylight and intuitive circulation that supports well-being across all roles.

Science on Display

Glass-walled translational research laboratories line the atrium’s second level, allowing patients and families to see discovery in action. The 27,000-sq.-ft. research floor supports up to 10 independent teams and 60 researchers in labs focused on stem cell and molecular biology. A glass-enclosed skybridge connects the center to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Rutgers Cancer Institute, moving patients, staff and specimens seamlessly across the academic medical campus and supporting the bench-to-bedside ecosystem needed to bring new treatments from lab to clinic.

Comprehensive, Patient-Centered Care

Outpatient services include 88 infusion bays, 80 exam rooms, diagnostic imaging (including an MRI LINAC, one of only 100 worldwide), urgent care, pediatrics and an on-site pharmacy. Wellness amenities include a demonstration kitchen, meditation rooms and a physical therapy gym that extend care beyond treatment. Inpatient floors house 96 private rooms, including ICU-flexible accommodations and a protective environment for transplant patients, alongside a dedicated surgical floor. Tunable lighting supports circadian rhythms, and every patient room delivers 100% outside air. A vibrant “Jersey Shore”-themed environment serves the center’s youngest patients.

Equity and Access
More than half of New Brunswick’s population identifies as Hispanic, and the city’s poverty rate exceeds the national average. Morris Cancer Center’s accessible design and community outreach position it to expand clinical trial participation to populations historically underrepresented in cancer research.

Campus Context

Sensitive to its urban context and adjacent Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the Morris Cancer Center employs articulated massing and warm materiality to break down scale and establish a welcoming civic presence. The building’s terracotta facade, generous glazing and natural textures complement the district’s surrounding architecture while also projecting the forward-looking mission of a next-generation cancer hospital.

Impact

The Morris Cancer Center is the cornerstone of a $1.5 billion statewide oncology investment. Named in recognition of philanthropists Jack and Sheryl Morris, it provides patients access to cellular therapies, innovative clinical trials and sophisticated radiation therapy techniques close to home for the first time.