Specifying and Building Radiation Controlled Areas
Architects, contractors, and M&E consultants are increasingly asked to deliver spaces that house X-ray and other radiation emitting equipment, from hospital imaging departments to single-room extensions for dental and veterinary practices. Delivering these spaces safely is a shared responsibility between the design team, the main contractor, and the client’s Radiation Protection Adviser. Raybloc provides tailored radiation shielding specification and non-ionising radiation shielding solutions designed to meet the requirements of hospital, healthcare, veterinary, and industrial projects. Our solutions comply fully with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and relevant construction standards, helping design teams deliver compliant radiation controlled areas without disrupting the wider build programme.
How We Work With Your Project, Start to Finish
1. Enquiry & drawings review
Send us your drawings, RPA structural shielding assessment, or even just a rough room layout at concept stage. We don’t just check what you send, we work through the detail with you, lead equivalence, door and window openings, and any coordination points, so the design comes together collaboratively before you’re locked in.
2. Pricing & programme
You get a clear quote and lead time up front, whether you’re pricing a tender, working to a fast-track NHS programme, or scoping a single-room dental fit-out.
3. Manufacture
Every doorset, panel, and screen is built to your project’s specific sizes and finishes, not off-the-shelf. Healthcare projects are manufactured to NHS HTM hygiene standards as standard.
4. Installation
Our own installation teams work to your site’s programme, including phased and out-of-hours work where a department can’t simply close for the works.
5. RPA sign-off
Every lead board carries a coded identification sticker denoting its lead equivalence, alongside door identification tags and etched window markings, so when your RPA comes to test and sign off the room, what’s on the drawing, what’s on the wall, and what’s tested all line up without question.
6. Aftercare
We stay reachable for maintenance, servicing, and any future alterations, including replacing shielding within an existing occupied building.
Wherever your project sits in this process, get in touch and we'll pick it up from there.
The Importance of Early Shielding Input in Design and Construction
Radiation shielding is structural rather than a fit-out afterthought. Wall build-ups, door thicknesses, glazing specifications, and ceiling voids can all be affected by the lead equivalence required in a given room, and the nature of the work means late changes are costly to unpick once a design has progressed.
For ionising radiation, the Health and Safety Executive sets strict radiation at work dose limits: 20 mSv/year for classified workers and 1 mSv/year for the public, and structural shielding must be sized to keep exposure within these limits. For non-ionising radiation, such as strong magnetic fields in MRI rooms or medical lasers, specific laser protection and MRI safety standards must also be factored into the room design.
Raybloc works with design and contracting teams to translate an RPA’s structural shielding assessment into a buildable specification as early as possible, keeping shielding requirements aligned with the wider design without compromising programme or budget.
Regulatory Standards That Affect Design and Construction
Projects involving radiation controlled areas must satisfy several overlapping requirements, regardless of end sector. Under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017, the client organisation must manage medical exposure for staff and patients, and the structural shielding assessment produced by the RPA sets the lead equivalence required for walls, doors, windows, and ceilings based on equipment type, workload, and occupancy of adjoining spaces.
Design teams also need to account for BS EN 1634-1 where a shielded door sits on a fire-rated line, and NHS HTM guidance where the project is a healthcare build, as these standards inform finishes, hygiene, and durability requirements alongside the radiation shielding itself. MRI facilities require specialist shielding, known as Faraday cages, to block external electromagnetic interference and contain radiofrequency (RF) emissions. Raybloc manufactures copper RF shielding for MRI rooms that meets international attenuation standards, as well as laser protection room modifications for surgical and dermatology suites.
What About Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation Requirements in Design?
Ionising radiation, including X-ray beams and radiotherapy, requires lead-lined structural shielding sized to the room’s use and the equipment’s output, and this typically drives wall, door, and window build-ups. Non-ionising radiation, such as MRI’s magnetic fields or medical lasers, presents a different design challenge: rather than lead shielding, these rooms need Faraday cage enclosures to contain RF emissions and prevent electromagnetic interference, along with careful control of ferromagnetic materials and services routing near the scanner.
For design teams, this means a single project can carry two distinct shielding specifications side by side, an ionising radiation room specified in lead equivalence, and an adjacent MRI suite specified in RF attenuation, and both need coordinating with the same wall, floor, and ceiling build-ups. Raybloc designs solutions for both, including:
- Lead-lined shielding for ionising radiation areas.
- Faraday cages for MRI rooms to control non-ionising RF radiation.
- Laser protection vision panels to support safe use of medical lasers.
Raybloc's Radiation Shielding Solutions for Architects and Contractors
Raybloc works alongside architects, contractors, and the client’s Radiation Protection Adviser to design and specify shielding systems that meet both technical and architectural requirements. Product data, specification clauses, and drawings are provided in a format your design team can use directly, and our products are listed on NBS Source for straightforward inclusion in project specifications. All products are manufactured to NHS HTM hygiene standards on healthcare projects, ensuring infection control compliance and long-term durability.
Our specification-ready range includes:
- Lead-lined doorsets – engineered to carry heavy lead cores with project-specific finishes, and manufactured to the sizes your drawings require.
- Lead glass internal windows – high-attenuation SCHOTT RD 50® glass, detailed to suit the project’s glazing package.
- Sense-X® Screens – operator shielding with integrated lighting for enhanced workflow.
- Lead-lined panels – wall and ceiling protection, coordinated within standard construction build-ups.
- Copper RF Faraday cages – for MRI rooms, blocking electromagnetic interference.
The X-Ray protection products which we feel are best suited to specification on architect and contractor-led projects are shown below – please take a look and contact us if you have any requests or questions. You can also keep up to date by following us on Facebook and Linkedin.
Projects Requiring Radiation Shielding Design Input
Project types that regularly require radiation shielding to be specified and built include:
- Hospital radiology, oncology, and diagnostic imaging departments (new-build and refurbishment)
- Dental practice fit-outs, from single-room intraoral X-ray to CBCT installations
- Veterinary practice builds, for both small animal and equine settings
- Community diagnostic centres and NHS primary care refurbishments introducing on-site imaging
- Industrial and non-destructive testing (NDT) facilities
- MRI suites and laser treatment rooms requiring non-ionising radiation shielding
Raybloc’s solutions are specified into NHS and private healthcare, veterinary, and industrial projects alike, ensuring radiation controlled areas are built correctly first time.
Why Choose Raybloc for Architects and Contractors Radiation Shielding Specification?
First-time right design
Products tailored for your project’s application, from initial concept and specification through to final installation.
Built to NHS HTM standards
Infection-control compliant, hygienic, and durable on healthcare projects.
Comprehensive expertise
Covering both ionising and non-ionising radiation shielding specification requirements.
Proven delivery record
Thousands of shielding installations completed successfully across NHS, private healthcare, veterinary, and industrial projects.
Collaborative support
Working closely with RPAs, laser protection advisers, and the wider design team.
Architectural integration
Solutions that complement your design intent without compromising shielding performance.
Case studies
Our work with architects, contractors, and their clients demonstrates our expertise in delivering radiation shielding solutions specified and built to project-specific requirements. View our sector case studies to learn how we have supported design teams in achieving compliance and delivering radiation controlled areas on time.As early as possible, ideally once the client’s RPA has produced a structural shielding assessment, ahead of detailed design. This allows wall build-ups, door openings, and services coordination to accommodate the shielding requirements rather than being revised later.
Yes, our products are listed on NBS Source and can be specified directly within your project documentation.
View Raybloc on NBS Source
The structural shielding assessment is produced by the client’s Radiation Protection Adviser, based on the equipment and room use. Raybloc uses this assessment to specify and manufacture the shielding products required to meet it.
In many cases, yes. Where a shielded door sits on a fire-rated line, it needs to meet both the required lead equivalence and the relevant fire performance standard, such as BS EN 1634-1. This should be confirmed at specification stage.
Yes. A large proportion of the projects we support are refurbishments or extensions to existing buildings, including single-room upgrades in dental and veterinary practices, and imaging suite refurbishments in hospitals.
Radiation Protection Products for Architects and Contractors
Leaded Doors For X-ray Rooms – Lead Lined Protective Doors
Bespoke lead lined X-ray doors for radiation protection
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RF Shielding Solutions for Reliable Signal and Radiation Control
Raybloc specialise in the design, manufacture, and installation of copper-based shielded enclosures for MRI rooms and other controlled environments.
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Magnetic Shielding for MRI Enclosures
Magnetic shielding is an essential complement to Raybloc’s copper Faraday cage systems.
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Wall Mounted X-Ray Warning Signs
Wherever ionising radiation is present – be it in a hospital, dental practice, or research facility – X-ray warning lights are a critical requirement.
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