DRISCOLL.

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L.F. DRISCOLL–MCKISSACK JV
L.F. Driscoll and McKissack are completing
several high-profile projects for the University
of Pennsylvania Health System.

A New Age For Therapy

Joint venture L.F. Driscoll and McKissack is building the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the
highly anticipated Roberts Proton Therapy Center for the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

R esearchers, care providers and patients at the

University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) in
Philadelphia are about to experience the wave of the
future in cancer care and treatment when a first-of-its-kind
proton therapy center opens this year. A joint venture
between L.F. Driscoll and McKissack was formed to pro-
vide the construction management and building of the
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine for the health sys-
tem. The $225 million project, built in phases, will be a
360,000-square-foot outpatient facility.
According to UPHS, Driscoll/McKissack is acting as the
liaison between the project stakeholders.
“During the design stage of the
L.F. Driscoll-McKissack JV –
Roberts Proton Therapy Perelman Center project, Driscoll/-
Center McKissack acted as a consultant, advising
www.pennhealth.com the health system planners and architects
Proj. value: $225 million
Location: Philadelphia on construction issues such as the avail-
Employees: 300 ability of experienced construction labor,
Scope: Proton therapy center the ability of the local construction indus-
UPHS: “[Driscoll/McKissack] con-
tinues to monitor the schedule … try to handle particular construction tech-
[and] develop solutions.” niques and the cost and availability of
building materials,” UPHS explains. “As the project pro-
gresses, they continue [to] monitor the schedule, looking
ahead for potential roadblocks that might delay project
completion and develop solutions to any problems that
may arise.”
State-of-the-Art Design
The Center for Advanced Medicine formerly was occupied by
the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center. In 2004,
the municipal auditorium and what remained of the civic cen-
ter complex were demolished to make room for new con-
struction. Recycling materials from the old facility was a prior-
ity, and in the end, more than 90 percent of the original build-
ing was recycled.
The center is estimated to use 5,250 tons of steel, 43,000
cubic yards of concrete, 494,000 linear feet of piping, 1.4
million linear feet of copper wiring and to recycle 18,038
tons of material.
A central public space and plaza with an atrium is a key
component of the design. The design of the site allows for
future expansion. Designed by Tsoi, Kobus and Associates,

114 ■ WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM ■ FEBRUARY 2009