McLaren Proton Therapy Center  

Flint, MI 

Background

ProTom International teamed with McLaren Regional Healthcare Center to develop the first Proton Therapy center in Michigan. Using ProTom’s advanced technology, the Great Lakes Cancer Institute project will cost significantly less than comparable facilities.

Having already delivered a number of proton therapy centers, the SCI·X team is well placed to lead the design effort. Moreover, as SCI·X team members have worked now with four leading manufacturers of proton therapy systems -- Hitachi, IBA, ProTom, Varian -- to develop prototype facilities, they possess profound understanding and expertise in this building type.

This new construction is designed as a separate building linked by a glass, garden-flanked corridor, to the existing facility. With only 8 operational proton therapy centers in the U.S., demand for treatment is exceptionally high.

Challenges

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Teaming with two other architectural firms for a project in a remote location.

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Working with local constructors, manufacturers, and product sources inexperienced with Proton project vocabulary and technology demands.

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Participating in the building design of the first U.S. installation of a complex new radiotherapy technology.

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Seamless transfer of construction documentation between equipment, engineering, and construction team members.

Solutions

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Numerous on-site meetings with dedicated groups of local client staff in a programming leadership role.

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Item by item vigilant clarification of the unique design and construction needs of a Proton radiotherapy project.

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Making the necessary ongoing design adjustments quickly and cost effectively.

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Serving as team leaders for the most sophisticated drafting and design technology available (BIM).