Australian-first biomedical research centre reaches construction milestone

A $500 million biomedical research facility in Adelaide has reached a construction milestone, topping out at 15 storeys (74 metres).

Designed by Woods Bagot, the future home to the Australian Bragg Centre will be Australia's first proton therapy unit, offering a form of radiotherapy that uses beams of protons to treat diseased tissue.

The centre will be located next to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), also designed by Woods Bagot and completed in 2013.

"The original SAHMRI was a catalyst in the resurrection of inner-city Adelaide, and [for] the evolution of an internationally regarded biomedical precinct," Woods Bagot director Thomas Masullo has previously said of the project. "The design of SAHMRI II echoes the gravitas of this precinct, where state-of-the-art technology is part of the city's ongoing transformation."

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said, "Adelaide's BioMed City is a $4 billion precinct that represents the best in collaboration between our universities and health institutions, the private sector and state and federal governments.

"The topping out is a great milestone for the state and the hundreds of patients who will use it every year, and I congratulate the project partners involved."

The proton therapy unit bunker is three storeys tall and buried 16 metres underground. It required 7,000 cubic metres of concrete to shield radiation and minimize vibration.

"In many ways, the engineering and construction of the proton therapy unit bunker are similar to the challenge of building nuclear submarines. Not only has it never been done in Australia, but it's also one of the very first installations in the Southern Hemisphere," said Jamie McClurg, executive chair of developer Commercial and General.