WASHINGTON D.C. — The Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center is complete and delivering care to cancer patients in Washington, D.C. and the broader Mid-Atlantic region. Stantec, a global design firm recognized for its Particle Therapy Center of Excellence, led the architectural and interior designs of the 80,000-square-foot facility with three gantries for patient treatment and one fixed beam room dedicated to research. The center provides proton therapy treatment to adult and pediatric cancer patients. This care is delivered by experts from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and in collaboration with Children’s National.

Located on the Sibley Memorial Hospital campus, directly west of the new Sibley Tower, the facility is connected to the oncology wing and is part of a renovation and expansion program to create a comprehensive cancer treatment center. It is LEED-certified, which is a unique designation for proton therapy centers.

Blending into the campus master plan, the facility takes its cues from the predominant campus architectural features, incorporating the use of brick, cast stone trim, and glass with a wall of windows that flood the second-floor patient area with natural light. Interiors feature warm, soft colors and natural materials, mimicking a living room rather than a waiting room.

“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,” said Paula Williams, a Principal at Stantec. “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.”

Proton therapy differs from traditional radiation treatment in that it uses a beam of protons to precisely target damaged tissue, depositing much less radiation in the surrounding healthy tissue. The first hospital-based facility in the United States began offering treatment in 1990, and in the past five years, the number of facilities in the United States has increased from 15 to nearly 30. Globally, the proton therapy systems market is expected to reach $2.8 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research, Inc.

Stantec has worked on more than 30 particle therapy centers around the globe currently built, in construction, or under design. Recent projects designed by Stantec include the New York Proton Center in New York, New York; Emory Proton Therapy Center in Atlanta, Georgia; the Inova Schar Institute Proton Center in Fairfax, Virginia; the South Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Delray Beach, Florida; and the Hefei Heavy Ion Medical Center in Hefei City, China.

Based in Washington, D.C., the firm’s Particle Therapy Center of Excellence professionals develop solutions for each client’s individual needs, budget, and site constraints.