Covenant Health – Thompson Proton Center, Knoxville, Tennessee

The Thompson Proton Center was originally designed for Provision, a member of Provision CARES Cancer Network. The building is nestled in the beautiful Dowell Springs campus in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was the 13th proton therapy treatment center to open in the United States.

Shielded sliding doors were first used at this location in place of treatment room entry mazes. These doors saved valuable space and reduced construction costs. Today, most new proton centers analyze the benefits attributed to these sliding doors. Where sites are highly constrained, these doors provide a space-saving alternative to the traditional layout.

The facility was designed with two separate proton systems. The project opened in 2014 with two IBA gantries but included two additional vaults for the future development of ProNova’s SC360 system.

Work previously completed by John Jessen as Principal Architect with Architect-of-Record VOA Associates (now Stantec).