KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Following years of planning, The University of Kansas Health System has begun accepting patients at its new proton therapy treatment center, designed by architecture planning and design firm Hoefer Welker in partnership with Stantec.

One of only about 40 proton therapy centers in the United States, the new facility is the only cancer center to offer this specialized form of radiation treatment throughout Kansas and its surrounding states, including Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Arkansas. Treatment is offered through The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Construction of the new proton therapy center was done in partnership with Kansas City-based McCownGordon Construction and construction firm Linbeck, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Located in Kansas City, Kan., the facility spans 38,200 square feet.

Supported by Stantec’s proton expertise, Hoefer Welker is now one of a handful of firms in the U.S. with expertise specific to proton therapy treatment. Throughout the design process, the Hoefer Welker team coordinated with physicians and other members of the medical team to determine the needs of patients, families and caregivers. This included a collaborative visioning session that assessed psychological, sociological and physiological impacts on all involved parties as well as goals and success metrics. Using data gathered during the session, Hoefer Welker designed the facility with a focus on clinical flow, calming aesthetics and an improved patient and staff experience.

“Hoefer Welker led the efforts on much of the interior design, finish and ‘feel’ of the new space, working closely with cancer center providers and staff to ensure patient areas were conducive to healing,” said Jeff Wright, VP of Cancer Services for The University of Kansas Health System. “Patients will greatly benefit from this attention to detail as they seek and receive treatment.”

Hoefer Welker’s services for the treatment center included architectural and interior design; furniture, furnishings and equipment (FF&E); clinical space planning; medical equipment planning and construction administration.

The new proton treatment center additionally includes a protective concrete vault to guard against unnecessary radiation. The vault walls are six to nine feet thick and house 160 tons of equipment. Construction of the vault required 2,721 cubic yards of concrete and 377,513 pounds – or 125 pickup trucks’ worth – of steel rebar.

Proton therapy offers a highly specialized and precisely targeted form of radiation treatment using protons – rather than X-rays – to attack tumors. Given the limited availability of proton therapy, many cancer patients have to travel long distances to receive this specialized form of care.

As the region’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s new proton therapy center allows Midwestern patients to remain close to home, families and much-needed support systems while undergoing treatment.

“We’ve been in a proton desert in Kansas; no one should ever have to leave the state to receive the best cancer care available,” said Dr. Terry Tsue, Physician in Chief and VP of Clinical Services at the University of Kansas Health System. “Patients from all over the region can now receive the highest level of proton therapy closer to home from an unparalleled team of nationally and internationally renowned proton experts.”

“Many cancer patients were traveling across several states to receive this specialized treatment. This understandably causes a lot of stress for the patient, their well-being, and their recovery — as well as emotional and financial stress on their caregivers,” added Hoefer Welker Partner and Healthcare Practice Leader Patrick McCurdy, AIA, NCARB. “The capability to provide this treatment close to home, as well as the needed relief for these patients and their caregivers, is a powerful addition to our community and our region.”

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Leading global integrated design firm Stantec, recognized for its Particle Therapy Center of Excellence, has completed the design of the San Antonio Proton Therapy Center. The new 26,000-square-foot facility will provide an advanced alternative to conventional radiation treatment to nearly 500 patients annually from South and West Texas, as well as Mexico.

Proton International LLC will develop the new cancer center, which is located adjacent to The University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio’s Greehey Campus and the Mays Cancer Center, with UT Health as the clinical partner. Unlike X-ray radiation, proton therapy uses beams of high-energy protons, or positively charged particles in atoms, to precisely target tumors while largely sparing surrounding healthy tissues and reducing side effects.

The building is characterized by a simplicity of massing and composition with an interlocking design that links indoor spaces and outdoor gardens to produce an elegant, compact building that is integrated with its natural surroundings.

The two-story, state-of-the-art cancer treatment center offers dedicated areas to welcome patients, provide clinic care and treatment, support staff, and accommodate complex equipment requirements. An expansive exterior canopy leads to the main double-height lobby flanked by healing gardens to the east and west. Accessible from the lobby, the treatment functions are laid out to promote synergy between the care team and patients in a design defined by subtle naturalistic patterns and touches of bright colors. The staff area stretches behind the main façade and connects with the adjoining patio for a place of respite.

To maximize the building’s presence on campus, the site was conceptually divided in parallel layers with the proton building at the center. Three gardens inspired by South Texas’ nature and colors will complement the expressive composition of the building. A healing garden will line the main building lobby on two sides, and a step garden with outdoor patio will add amenities adjacent to the staff lounge. The third garden will be located at the end of the treatment corridor. New trees planted on a grid will be added along three sides of the property to provide a natural backdrop and shading to the building.

“Bringing proton therapy to San Antonio will be a game changer for the region,” said Paula Williams, principal for Stantec. “Our design aims to give patients a sense of comfort and familiarity by creating a simple space and serves as a nod to Texas’ historical adobe architecture.”

Stantec is a leading global expert in the design of particle therapy centers. Recent projects designed by Stantec include the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center in Houston, TX; New York Proton Center in New York, NY; Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center in Washington, DC; Emory Proton Therapy Center in Atlanta, GA; Inova Schar Institute Proton Center in Fairfax, VA; Proton International at University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL; South Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Delray Beach, Florida; and Hefei Heavy Ion Medical Center in Hefei, China.

A contractor on the San Antonio project has not yet been named.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Design and construction firm Stantec has delivered for client Johns Hopkins a new medical facility devoted specifically to proton therapy. Dubbed the Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center, the medical facility is now open at the Sibley Memorial Hospital campus in Washington, D.C., directly adjacent to the new Sibley Tower medical building.

Stantec’s duties on the 80,000-square-foot facility, located in Northwest D.C., entailed architectural and interior design work, as well as ensuring that the new proton therapy building would blend in with the overall design motif of the Sibley Memorial Hospital master campus plan. This entailed ensuring that building materials utilized in the construction included brick and cast stone trim, as well as ensuring that enough natural light entered the second-floor patient area with a novel “wall of windows.”

In a bid to make the new facility more friendly, Stantec’s team ensured that the inner areas utilized “soft” coloring to foster a more pleasant atmosphere for patients such that it resembled a home setting versus a waiting room.

The Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center connects directly to the Sibley’s oncology wing. The new proton therapy center is also LEED-certified in the category specifically set aside for proton therapy centers.

In the course of cancer treatments, proton therapy utilizes a beam of protons aimed at damaged tissue rather than the more general—and potentially more damaging—radiation treatments. In an announcement about the Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center, Stantec said that the treatment has been used at various hospitals in the United States since 1990, and the last half-decade saw an increase in the number of facilities nationwide that utilize this form of cancer therapy from 15 to twice as many.

“Proton therapy has seen tremendous growth across the United States, with healthcare providers in our communities increasingly looking to connect patients with advanced cancer care,” Paula Williams, a principal at Stantec, said in a recent statement regarding her firm’s work for the facility in the nation’s capital. “We are honored to help craft this significant project in the Washington, D.C., area and are confident that its warm, healing environment will help to ease some of the stressors on patients and their families.”

Stantec also cited information from Grand View Research, Inc., projecting that, by 2025, the proton therapy systems market will hit $2.8 billion.

Stantec’s other proton therapy centers include the New York Proton Center in Manhattan, the Emory Proton Therapy Center in Atlanta, the Inova Schar Institute Proton Center in Fairfax, Virginia, the South Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Delray Beach, and the Hefei Heavy Ion Medical Center in Hefei City, China.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—On Jan. 13, the Proton International at UAB facility opened at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The partnership between the University of Alabama and Proton International started construction in the winter of 2018, with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony held nearly two years later.

Proton therapy is a sophisticated radiology technology that is used in cancer treatment. A machine called a cyclotron delivers a concentrated proton beam at the site of a tumor in a patient’s body with the aim of destroying the tumor’s cells.

Proton International at UAB, located at 20th Street South between Fourth and Fifth avenues, is a three-story building that offers clinical examination rooms and the ProBeam proton therapy system made by Varian Medical Services, which has partnered with UAB on several previous projects.

Brasfield & Gorrie, which also has corporate headquarters in Birmingham, acted as the general contractor on the project, the fourth proton therapy center built by the construction firm. The Proton International at UAB, the first in the state of Alabama, is one of only 36 proton therapy centers in the entire country.

Stantec provided architectural design services for the proton therapy facility.

The cyclotron from Proton International at UAB, which is nicknamed “Emma,” was manufactured in Germany at a cost of $25 million. The 90-ton cyclotron came by ship from Europe to Brunswick, Georgia, and then went overland in March of 2019 via a specialized truck. When Emma finally arrived in Birmingham, it was lifted into place thanks to a specialized heavy-lift crane.

In a news release published by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Will Ferniany, CEO of the UAB Health System, said that proton therapy will provide a “valuable tool” for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s cancer-treatment facilities to help out in “the betterment of thousands of cancer patients in Alabama and the surrounding area.”

The same news release quoted Chris Chandler, CEO of Proton International, as saying that the opening of the new center at UAB represents “an important milestone for the residents of Alabama” as they will be able to have access to proton therapy closer to where they reside.

UAB will exclusively provide medical staff for the new facility, inclusive of oncologists, radiation therapy technologists and nurses.

Brasfield & Gorrie, which built the facility, is one of the country’s largest privately held construction firms. The company provides design-build and general contracting services. The firm reported 2018 revenues of $3.3 billion and was ranked by Engineering News-Record as 25th in its list of the nation’s “Top 400 Contractors” for 2019. Modern Healthcare ranked Brasfield & Gorrie first among the nation’s Healthcare General Contractors for 2019.

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ATLANTA — Stantec recently announced the debut of the Emory Proton Therapy Center — the first treatment facility of its kind to open in Georgia that provides advanced cancer care to patients in the region.

Working alongside Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and the center’s owner, Provident Resources Group, Stantec led the architectural design of the new 115,000-square-foot, three-story center with engineering partners Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers and Goldstein-Milano Structural Engineers.

The state-of-the-art center features a 90-ton cyclotron that generates proton particles and four, 240-ton gantries that rotate 360 degrees around the patient to precisely aim the proton beam at a tumor.

The treatment center includes five treatment rooms with the ability to provide proton beam therapy to up to 1,700 patients, including children, annually.

The building’s design takes inspiration from the local cityscape while also ensuring a peaceful retreat for patients; with design features including a generous courtyard lined with a vertical garden as well as a palette that fuses natural colors and textures with its wooden panels.

Furthermore, dashes of bright color reinforce an uplifting atmosphere while providing wayfinding for patients and staff.

The designers also emphasized the significance of considering the comfort of its pediatric population by including family-friendly elements such as a designated family waiting room in the main lobby, a unique playhouse and a layout that allows parents to accompany children through treatment.

Additionally, a 20,000-square-foot retail space holds a 200-car parking garage, creating opportunities for new community offerings in the neighborhood.

The sand and charcoal exterior is also punctuated by generous expanses of glass to help to reinforce the building’s integration with the cityscape.

Standing as a project seven years in the making, the newly completed facility aims to strengthen city of Atlanta’s position as a center for biomedical innovation and advanced cancer care.

“As a facility treating patients of all ages, our team paid particular attention to the comfort of the pediatric population in the design of the Emory Proton Center,” said Paula Williams, a principal at Stantec. “The design includes a dedicated family waiting room in the main lobby, along with a unique playhouse to help these young patients find some comfort. The center’s layout has also been carefully considered to allow parents to accompany children through the clinical and treatment journey.”

According to Emory University, proton therapy is a painless and non-invasive form of external beam radiation that can be used in the successful treatment of patients with a variety of types of cancer and benign tumors.

With this new center, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University adds a powerful radiation therapy option to its broad array of cancer-fighting tools. The center will help strengthen Winship’s emergence as a national leader in cancer research and care.

“We are thrilled to begin offering proton therapy treatment to patients in the state of Georgia,” said Winship Cancer Institute Executive Director Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD. “The new center will provide an array of new therapeutic opportunities for our patients close to their home.”

The Emory Proton Center officially opened its doors on Dec. 6, 2018 in Midtown Atlanta with a VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Emory University President Claire E. Sterk, and Atlanta Braves Vice Chair Emeritus John Schuerholz were among the dignitaries who celebrated the opening and delivered remarks to more than 200 special guests.

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