The key design, construction, and installation challenges – including the lifting in of six 10-tonne ‘linacs’ – in building a new second floor cancer centre at London’s Guy’s Hospital, described.
Catherine Zeliotis, senior architect and healthcare leader at health sector architectural specialist, Stantec, and Malcolm Turpin, of structural engineering consultancy, Arup, discuss the considerations and construction challenges surrounding the installation of six linear accelerators (linacs) on the second floor of the new Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital; the first in Europe to provide this radiotherapy treatment above ground level.
The twelfth of March 2016 was a momentous day for the delivery team involved in designing and constructing the £160 million Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Main contractor, Laing O’Rourke, has built the Cancer Centre and led the project team; 12 March was the day that years of planning, design expertise, and engineering ingenuity, came together to enable the first linear accelerator (‘linac’) radiotherapy treatment machine to be installed on the second floor of the building. Why was it such a big event? – because this is Europe’s first cancer centre to locate this type of treatment above ground level. The weight of the machines themselves, and the extensive shielding required to protect the occupants of accommodation on all sides from the heavy radiation they emit, traditionally result in these facilities being located at ground or basement level.
Canti-deck platform
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