Ivy Brain Tumor Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute
Phoenix, AZ
Upon completion, this new five-story, 75,000 SF headquarters became the largest translational research center dedicated to brain tumor drug development in the world. The new headquarters consolidates operations for scientists and supporting staff that were spread across three buildings; the new space includes a wet laboratory, multidisciplinary clinical consultation space, MR-guided ultrasound suite, two-story entrance lobby, and auditorium. The structural design is structural steel framing over a concrete podium, which allowed for a shorter construction schedule and satisfied fire-rating requirements more economically. Cantilevered perimeter edges were implemented to maximize usable floor area while balancing the space required for installing foundations, which was severely restricted due to the adjacent existing buildings on three sides. Radiation shielding was required in certain rooms and a physicist was brought onto the project team who concluded the concrete vault around the radiation equipment would need to have 7.5-ft thick walls and a 4-ft thick. Buehler helped make sure constructing these thick walls would be possible by engineering access holes in the ceiling slab that concrete could be pourer into. At the time of construction, ready-mix concrete was immensely difficult to obtain. Six different concrete suppliers were utilized and last-minute mix-design adjustments became the norm; in total, 25 different mix designs were reviewed by Buehler’s engineers, as well as myriad RFIs. The project won the 2024 SEAoA Excellence in Structural Engineering Award for New Buildings over $10M.

Quick Facts
- Size: 75,700 SF
- Architect: Devenney Group
- The largest translational research center dedicated to brain tumor drug development in the world at the date of completion
- Construction Cost: $24,500,000
- Contractor: Okland Construction
Awards
- 2024 SEAoA - Structural Engineering Excellence Award for New Buildings > $10 Million
Photo Credit: Kevin Korczyk