Overview
Updated 03/27/17: The Texas Center for Proton Therapy won the Eminent Conceptor Award — the highest honor bestowed for Engineering Excellence in Texas — from the American Council of Engineering Companies Texas Chapter (ACEC Texas). The project also won a Gold Medal (top honor) in its category, Structural Systems. Congratulations to the entire project team! Full List of Winners
Owner: McKesson / Architect: CallisonRTKL / Contractor: Linbeck
On October 15, 2015 the Texas Center for Proton Therapy officially opened for patients seeking proton therapy treatment. Proton Therapy allows a higher dosage of radiation to be delivered to the patient with better precision than traditional x-ray radiation. The Texas Center for Proton Therapy is a collaboration between Texas healthcare leaders to bring leading-edge cancer care technology to the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The facility will provide services through Texas Oncology, a member of the US Oncology Network, and is one of only a few proton therapy centers across the U.S.
The facility is a combination of proton treatment areas and clinical support space. The treatment vaults use a “heavy normal” concrete mix design that satisfies the radiation shielding needs using locally-sourced concrete mix components, balancing performance requirements and cost. Stabilizing the mass of vaults and the movement-sensitive equipment on foundations in the highly expansive subsurface clays took a collaborative approach with the geotechnical engineer.
Walter P Moore developed their work using Building Information Modeling (BIM). The models were shared regularly with the design team, the contractor, and the design-assist sub-contractors. Walter P Moore also issued an early concrete and foundation package, allowing the contractor to bring the concrete subcontractor on board as architectural drawings were being completed.
In addition to the traditional design team, both the proton therapy technology provider and the radiation shielding consultant actively participated, thus requiring additional layers of coordination and integration.
Read the full article in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of Medical Design and Construction (pp. 34-38).
