Construction has commenced in Kansas City, Kan., on the country’s latest proton therapy center, which upon its scheduled completion in December will be the first of its kind to offer specialized radiation treatment to patients in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, and Arkansas. This will also be the region’s only National Cancer Center-designated cancer center.
The University of Kansas Health System will offer this service through its Cancer Center. It has received, and has started to install, the equipment for the proton therapy center, which is designed by Hoefer Welker in partnership with Stantec, whose design expertise in this typology includes the 135,000-sf New York Proton Center, the first of its kind in that state.
Hoefer Welker is also providing FF&E services, clinical space planning, medical equipment planning, and construction administration for this project. The facility expects to start receiving patients next January.
Also see: Equipment being hoisted and positioned into place
“Many cancer patients can’t receive this specialized treatment without traveling across several states to get it,” says John Castorina, Partner, Principal-in-Charge and National Healthcare Practice Leader with Hoefer Welker. “The stress that puts on the patient, their well-being and their recovery—as well as the emotional and financial stress it puts on their caregiver—is immense, and it’s something we hope this new facility can provide relief for. The capability to provide this treatment is a profound addition to our community and our region.”
DESIGN INFORMED BY TALKS WITH MEDICAL PROS
The 38,200-sf proton treatment center—which would be the 38th in the U.S—is being constructed by Kansas City-based McCownGordon Construction and Fort Worth, Texas-based Linbeck. The facility will include a protective concrete vault whose six- to nine-ft-thick walls require 2,721 cubic yards of concrete and 377,513 lbs of steel rebar. The vault will house 160 tons of equipment.
Throughout the design process Hoefer Welker met with physicians and other medical staff to determine the needs of patients and their families. Those meetings included a “visioning” session that assessed psychological, sociological, and physiological impacts.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
New health center to focus on education and awareness
Construction is getting pumped up at the new Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. The four-story, 94,000-sf building will focus on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 12, 2010
Holton Career and Resource Center, Durham, N.C.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. Early in the current decade, violence within the community of Northeast Central Durham, N.C., escalated to the point where school safety officers at Holton Junior High School feared for their own safety. The school eventually closed and the property sat vacant for five years.
| Sep 13, 2010
Palos Community Hospital plans upgrades, expansion
A laboratory, pharmacy, critical care unit, perioperative services, and 192 new patient beds are part of Palos (Ill.) Community Hospital's 617,500-sf expansion and renovation.
| Sep 13, 2010
China's largest single-phase hospital planned for Shanghai
RTKL's Los Angles office is designing the Shanghai Changzheng New Pudong Hospital, which will be the largest new hospital built in China in a single phase.
| Sep 13, 2010
'A Model for the Entire Industry'
How a university and its Building Team forged a relationship with 'the toughest building authority in the country' to bring a replacement hospital in early and under budget.
| Sep 13, 2010
Data Centers Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation's largest commercial user of electric power. With major technology companies investing heavily in new data centers, it's no wonder Building Teams see these mission-critical facilities as a golden opportunity, and why they are working hard to keep energy costs at data centers in check.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green Guide for Health Care launches pilot program, looks for participants
In first quarter 2010, the Green Guide for Health Care, in collaboration with Practice Greenhealth, is launching a one-year Green Guide for Health Care Operations Pilot Program for healthcare organizations engaged in any or all aspects of green operations initiatives, based on Green Guide v2.2 Operations section.
| Aug 11, 2010
JE Dunn, Balfour Beatty among country's biggest institutional building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Institutional Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
EwingCole to merge with healthcare specialist Robert D. Lynn Associates
EwingCole, a nationally recognized architectural, engineering, interior design, and planning firm with more than 320 professionals, today announced that it will combine its practice with Robert D. Lynn Associates of Philadelphia, a 40-person firm with a robust portfolio of healthcare projects. The combination will create the Delaware Valley¹s largest and most comprehensive firm with an emphasis on healthcare architecture, and a national scope and presence.
