Radiation Oncology Danube Hospital Vienna

A New Building for Radiation Therapy.

On the site of the SMZ Ost Hospital in Vienna, a new radiation therapy center was built. The annex now includes four accelerated radiation bunkers and four linear accelerators, two CT simulators for radiation planning, facilities for brachy therapy, outpatient clinics, a day-clinic, and office areas. The radio-oncologic building comprises four levels which are oriented toward the floor structure of the main clinic. Access for bedridden patients is from the delivery yard on the lowest level, E2. The existing automatic transport system (ATS) was enlarged and now connects to two service elevators with logistics anterooms on all service levels. There is no direct access to the hospital from level E2. The main access to the radio-oncology is from E3, which is on the same level as the main hospital entrance. This is where the central directing center and all out-patient clinics are located. On E4 there is a staff passage which can also be used to transport lying patients within the hospital; brachytherapy facilities and day-clinic rooms are on this level as well. Through the vertical arrangement of the functional units within the four-story building (E2 - E5) all patient-based areas are bundled on levels E2, E3, and E4. The central directing center on entrance level E3 is principally the place of first contact for all patients, while the sub-center on E2 manages only patients scheduled for follow-up visits. Level E4 is recessed and accommodates parts of the duty and staff rooms, the day-clinic, and the brachytherapy facilities, while the technical building systems are located on E5. The staff reaches the changing rooms on E3 from the main hospital entrance. The central access core near the directing centers and waiting areas provides connections between the therapy floors E2, E3, and E4 both for lying and ambulatory patients. Through the layered arrangement of the functional units and the different access points, the circulation routes of patients, staff, and deliveries are disentangled, thus facilitating smooth operational processes.