A new skyscraper is joining the skyline on New York City's Upper East Side. With a modern exterior and a glossy, glassy sheen, it looks like it'll fit right in—from the outside.

But when the building opens its doors in 2030, something will distinguish it from the other towers that stretch toward the ceiling of Manhattan. It won't hold corporate offices or hotel rooms, tourist-trap skydecks or luxury apartments.

This building will be a hospital: a state-of-the-art cancer center that honors its purpose without contorting itself into conventional molds. That's what the team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is going for, although the roughly $2.3 billion project won't be an easy undertaking.

The Kenneth C. Griffin Pavilion at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center will stand at 481

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