City of Hope Orange County Cancer Center & Hospital

Altitude’s integrated signage and wayfinding system uses a minimal, hospitality-oriented design throughout the cancer center and hospital facilities to underscore City of Hope’s commitment to care for patients, visitors and staff and to provide a seamless campus experience. The projects’ complex programming required highly organized collaboration with open lines of communication across numerous project partners. This not only ensured design alignment with both facilities’ architects and interior designers but also enabled precise coordination with the numerous contractors and suppliers responsible for the highly technical equipment that is necessary in medical facilities of this scale.

The result is an elegant and sophisticated system of communication that remains clear and uncluttered—highly visible and quickly understood—improving navigation through what can otherwise be considered high-stress environments.

Altitude’s signage program features rich wood and metallic accents that integrate with the architects’ warm and natural design palette and reflect the Orange County locale. Critical for signage in a healthcare setting, multiple design options and materials were tested using built prototypes, resulting in the selection of Di-Noc architectural finishes for their elevated aesthetic and their ease of cleaning and durability.

The cohesive wayfinding system eases the experience of patients and caregivers and enhances the effectiveness of staff by improving orientation and access to information. Altitude worked directly with clinical staff to understand the impact of room and amenity naming and numbering on day-to-day operations, and to make decisions together that would maximize clarity and flow. With thousands of signs located throughout the connected facilities, those required by health and safety codes have also been carefully coordinated to communicate clearly yet avoid visual clutter. 

Altitude also developed the complete system of architectural signage and wayfinding for City of Hope’s Los Angeles campus, which informed the approach for this new Orange County campus nearly 50 miles away. Designed for clarity, flexibility and longevity, the cohesive branded system ensures patients, families, employees and caregivers of all kinds can make seamless connections across City of Hope touchpoints and allows further expansion as their footprint continues to grow.