Proton cancer treatment, simply put, starts from the splitting of water (H2O) to extract the Hydrogen which is further broken down to its proton constituent. The protons are accelerated to 2/3 the speed of light to make it a very powerful and precise medical tool. There are two characteristics of proton beams that are worthy of note: 1) You can actually stop the beam at a specific distance and 2) The beam will release most of its energy at the point of stoppage.
This is what allows protons to treat with minimal side effects since most of the energy can be deployed directly on the tumors with minimal collateral damage to neighboring cells. This fascinating physics inspired the lead designer to create a unique patient experience emphasizing the simple origins of this life saving technology, water. To minimize the facilities footprint, we were able to stack the building program and squeeze it onto two small lots at the University of Maryland Bio-Park adjacent to the inner harbor district in downtown Baltimore in Maryland.