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Community Health Network is a local non-profit health system serving central Indiana. The three-story, free-standing cancer center on the campus of Community Hospital South raises the level of care for cancer patients on the south side of Indianapolis.
Opening of the facility also took place in phases, starting with the Infusion Center, followed by radiation oncology and the breast care services.
- State-of-the-art services like a full imaging suite (PET CT, 3T MRI, linear accelerator, 3D mammography, ultrasound and x-ray), infusion rooms with individual temperature controls, genetic counseling and on-site lab and pharmacy
- Coordinated approach to caring for patients at one location, which saves time and reduces the number of appointments
- Alternative therapies like yoga, music and art, nutrition and massage
- Partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Network as a certified member
- TrueBeamTM external beam radiation therapy, which is customized to the patient, localized to the specific area of treatment and takes minutes instead of hours to complete
- Construction was phased starting with the core and shell, followed by build-out of each floor
Project Stories
An innovative solution for material hoisting
Before elevators were operational, bringing materials into the building was extremely difficult. Leaving a large section of the curtainwall out to hoist materials onto the higher floors left the building exposed to temperatures that would damage interior finishes. The curtainwall supplier designed large doors that fit within the existing curtainwall system. The temporary doors allowed the team to load material on the floors with a lull, while keeping the building air- and water-tight when not in use. Each set of doors could be removed independent of one another so the team could work on one floor at a time. After the doors were removed the curtainwall system was replaced in one day from the exterior of the building, avoiding any disturbance to the interior finishes. This solution was particularly helpful during installation of the MRI on the third floor.
Optimized building performance
The building incorporated many high efficiency design elements, including the outer envelope insulation that goes beyond Indiana building standards and a VRF HVAC system, which allows heating and cooling to be controlled room by room. It is one of three buildings in the state to have this system.
LED lighting was used with centralized and responsive lighting controls. Other features include low-VOC materials, native plants and natural daylight.
Quality construction
The cancer center project was recognized as a Pepper Quality Project of the year. The team worked hard to ensure the details of the project were planned and executed to the highest level of quality. Activities included the following:
- Executing pre-installation meetings
- Reviewing air barrier details prior to construction, followed by multiple quality walks during construction, including manufacturer’s representative site visits
- Creating mockups to ensure the tradespeople understood quality expectations of the hospital and design team and reviewing the first work to look at critical details before continuing with the installations. These measures were particularly important when coordinating the linear accelerator installation and the radius of the curtainwall and brick facade.
