Inova Schar Cancer Institute

At the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Clark renovated an existing building, constructed a new, state-of-the-art proton therapy center, and expanded a parking garage to bring to life a cutting-edge center supporting cancer treatment in the Washington, DC area.

The Building A Addition features specialty equipment, including three MRIs, two CTs, high-density radiation vaults, three linear accelerators, and a two-gantry proton therapy center.

Building B, which Clark renovated and expanded, includes a main lobby, multiple pharmacies, and clinic spaces specializing in specific types of cancer. Clark’s team renovated the existing core tower and replaced the exterior curtain wall. 

The Proton Therapy Center’s radiation necessitated 16-foot-thick concrete walls, miles of rebar and conduit, and sleeving ductwork interlaced throughout the walls. Clark Concrete performed the cast-in-place concrete scope of work for the Proton Therapy Center, which features a 250-ton cyclotron and two three-story treatment bays, called “gantries,” as well as an interstitial treatment floor and equipment support spaces. The Cyclotron produces a high rate of radiation which is shielded by the massive concrete structure. Because the concrete structure was the main radiation protection measure, Clark Concrete followed strict rules for running conduit and piping within the slabs. Every conduit runing through the slab had to have at least two 90-degree bends, and each conduit had to be a precise distance from the next conduit.

The Therapy Center structure needed to be water-tight before the two-story piece of equipment was installed. The project team was able to achievewater-tight status while leaving 20-foot by 20-foot openings in the roof with a temporary scaffold roof, so that equipment could be lowered in through the top of the building. Once the equipment was in place, Clark’s team erected precast concrete planks in the openings so that the client can remove the roof to take out the equipment for future updates.  This paves the way for future technologies to get to patients, faster. Through the removable roof, Inova Health Systems will be able to remove and add equipment quickly, without tearing out the front door. As technologies increase at exponential rates, this building flexibility provides significant value to the client and its physicians.