BIM helps to create new Colombian cancer facility

Cancer has long been one of the biggest issues facing humanity, but in Colombia the illness has been especially widespread with very few treatment options available.

Set to open in 2021, and described as “a social donation to the country and to the region,” Bogotá’s Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo Cancer Treatment and Research Centre (CTIC) will play a big part in tackling the country’s lack of facilities.

Around 63,000 Colombians are diagnosed with cancer every year - but despite Colombia having 1780 different cancer-care providers, only 25 of them can offer chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery all under one roof.

This means that many Colombians must travel as far as the United States to be treated for certain types of cancer.

The CTIC has been designed by construction company Construcciones Planificadas, using the BIM process in order to make the plans as precise as possible.

“We have more than 30 different specialties that need to be integrated, it would be impossible to co-ordinate such a large, international team using a traditional 2D methodology… it guarantees that you have fewer faults in the final product,” said design manager Mauricio Patiño.

“It would be impossible to co-ordinate such a large, international team using a traditional 2D methodology… it guarantees that you have fewer faults in the final product”

The building will provide 128 hospital rooms, 30 intensive-care beds, eight radiotherapy bunkers, six operating rooms, 60 chemotherapy chairs, a hematology and bone marrow–transplant clinic, and a 10,000-square-meter (107,639-square-foot) research building.

As well as having a positive impact on cancer patients, the building will be environmentally friendly too. Boasting dedicated parking spaces for low-emission vehicles and carpooling; bicycle racks; native-species landscaping with an efficient drip-irrigation system; energy-efficient medical equipment; an on-site treatment plant for grey water and rainwater, which will be recycled for toilets and urinals; a solar water-heating system; low-VOC paints, sealants, and adhesives; a backup electricity system that uses a flywheel instead of batteries; and a modular facade with alternating blank and glazed zones for optimal energy performance.

The use of BIM in the design process will help to reduce unnecessary waste and the risk of changes needing to be made once construction has started, making for a much more productive project. This dedication to sustainability and preventing waste also means that the money saved through the centre reducing their costs could lead to a more significant level of investment, resulting in better quality care for their patients.