Carilion Taubman Cancer Center, Roanoke, Virginia

The Carilion Taubman Cancer Center topped out in September, closing the structural phase of the biggest cancer care building in Carilion Clinic’s history. The six-story, roughly 257,000-square-foot center is going up on Carilion’s Riverside Campus in Roanoke, Virginia. HDR is the architect. Robins & Morton Branch Builds, a joint venture of Robins & Morton and Branch Builds, is general contractor.

Size is the story. Carilion’s current cancer center on South Jefferson Street dates to 1980, has about 40,000 square feet and has been running beyond capacity. The new building is more than six times larger, and Carilion expects to double patient capacity.

Project Scope

The center pulls cancer treatment, clinical trials, research and patient support into one building, with adult and pediatric care, multidisciplinary teams and family support services. The design leans on natural light and outdoor space. It shares the campus with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. That adjacency is the point: trials and research next door to the clinics.

With the frame complete, the JV’s remaining work covers building systems, interiors, finishes, specialized healthcare infrastructure and commissioning. The builder is targeting completion in late 2027. Carilion said in October 2025 it expected the center to open in 2028, which leaves room for fit-out and activation.

Expect some confusion on the specs. Carilion’s 2025 fundraising release described a seven-story building of about 260,000 square feet. The construction team’s 2025 start and 2026 topping-out announcements both say six stories and nearly 257,000. We’re going with the builder’s numbers.

Why It Matters

This is a philanthropy-driven build. Carilion’s Reaching Far, Caring Close campaign set a $100 million goal and passed $105 million. The Taubman family’s giving includes a $25 million gift announced in 2024 and a $17.5 million leadership gift, and the building carries their name. Nobody has published a total construction cost, which is a gap for a project this size.

The next phase could be the more interesting job. Carilion has a separate $50 million initiative to add proton therapy, with $20 million raised as of October 2025. Proton vaults mean heavy shielded concrete and tight equipment tolerances, a very different scope from a clinic floor. If it happens, Carilion says the center would be the only proton site in Central and Western Virginia and the third in the state.

For a system that serves nearly 1 million patients a year, the bet is simple. Keep cancer patients in Roanoke instead of sending them to Richmond, Charlottesville or out of state.

Project Team & Details