Patients dealing with cancer are faced with daunting and challenging roads ahead. In addition to the uncertain diagnosis, discomfort of treatments, and weakened immune systems, the treatment rooms they receive care can often be intimidating and commonly institutionally looking which invokes a sense of “coldness” and impersonality. But can’t we as healthcare designers improve the patient experience through our designs which lead to better patient satisfaction and outcomes? Of course, we can and we should!

For many cancer patients, they require multiple treatments using radiation oncology using a linear accelerator. The “linac” delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of the patient’s tumor. These treatments can be designed in such a way that they destroy the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. Because these highly sophisticated equipment delivers high energy radiation, treatment is performed in a concrete vault (usually between 4-8 ft. thick and often in the basement of the building) or specialized lead brick rooms, in which the provider cannot remain in the room during treatment and communication is only achieved with cameras and intercoms.

We are technical experts in heavy equipment-driven healthcare projects.

BB&W Architects

The Principals of BB+W Architects has extensive experience working with various healthcare providers (from large institutional hospitals to private out-patient facilities) on designing these complex oncology treatment suites. We are currently working on our 4th linac project, with the previous (3) ranging from a free-standing facility in the suburbs of NW Houston, a tenant improvement and vault addition to an existing MOB, and an oncology center + vault in the middle of a dense urban environment in the Texas Medical Center. We are technical experts in heavy equipment-driven healthcare projects, having completed numerous Varian-modeled linear accelerators and the first Elekta LINAC in the Houston area which encompasses imaging capability within LINAC machine at that time.