The $5.5 million, below-grade vault is attached to the cancer treatment center on the campus of the OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. It is the second proton therapy vault the Tarlton concrete team has constructed in recent years. Proton therapy, a relatively new technology, allows oncologists to target radiation directly without significantly damaging the surrounding healthy tissue, providing the patient with fewer short- and long-term side effects and a smaller chance of recurrence.
The team constructed a 4,540-cubic-yard concrete vault, inside of which was placed state-of-the-art equipment manufactured by Varian Medical Systems Inc. for noninvasive cancer treatment. Unlike many radiation centers, the OSF proton vault has no lead lining. Extremely precise structural concrete work was required to prevent the escape of any proton radiation. The substantial concrete walls, including some more than 25 feet thick, are designed to stop and absorb traveling protons.
To ensure all mass concrete pours were placed and cured properly, consistent communication and coordination between all trade partners was essential. The Tarlton project team included Kevin Oakley, project director; Brian Julius, project manager; Kurt Aubuchon, project manager; and Jeff Vogt, project superintendent. Otto Baum Company Inc. supplied all labor, equipment and construction materials for the project. Doka USA Ltd. fully engineered the concrete formwork to minimize deflections and maintain concrete tolerances.
A thermal control plan, critical to the execution of the pours, was developed in conjunction with CTL Group, an engineering, architecture and materials science consulting firm. The plan included a specific temperature control plan for each individual pour. Temperature sensors were placed in each pour to carefully monitor and track temperature differentials. The team maintained the schedule by streamlining a block-out process for adjacent concrete pours that allowed them to reduce the cure time between pours without sacrificing the integrity and quality of the concrete.
“It is an honor to be recognized by our industry peers and members of AGC of Missouri for our scope of work on this technically complex project,” said Michael Trettel, Tarlton vice president, who leads Tarlton’s concrete and concrete restoration work. “The team’s commitment to safety, precision and collaboration demonstrates our commitment to superior innovation and quality construction.”