The Australian Bragg Centre, a $500-million cancer treatment centre being built in Adelaide’s BioMed City precinct, has reached a new construction milestone, topping out its 15 storeys at 74 metres.
The Australian Bragg Centre will house Australia’s first Proton Therapy Unit, and is built to accommodate specific treatments for future patients.
Located next to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) on North Terrace, the landmark development is being delivered by Commercial & General and provides an opportunity for organisations to establish a presence in the largest biomedical and health district in the Southern Hemisphere.
Colliers agents Ian Sanders and James Young have already leased 80% of the total 22,892sqm of net lettable space to leading medical institutions, prior to the building’s scheduled completion in late 2023.
Sanders, Colliers’ head of transaction services, Asia Pacific, said, “The new Australian Bragg Centre within Adelaide’s biomedical precinct is at the centre of some of the highest concentrations of research, investment, and scientific workforce availabilities in the country.”
“Adelaide has worked hard to create an ecosystem that supports Life Science environments, incorporating the full supply chain of dependencies, including service providers to the sector. A feature of Life Sciences is the ongoing support for biomedical funding and research, which underpins sector growth and continued investment,” he added.
“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,” said South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“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 Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research is funded through a public/private partnership including SAHMRI, Commercial & General, Dexus, the Federal Government and the Government of South Australia.
The three-storey proton therapy unit bunker sits 16 metres underground, with its construction involving the removal of 66,000 tonnes of earth and pouring 7,000m³ of shielding concrete across 29 separate concrete pours with 281 precast panels, 121 tonnes of embedded steel shielding plates, and three individual shielding doors weighing approximately 220 tonnes in total.
With Lendlease as the appointed builder, construction has created around 1000 jobs and generated an estimated $1 billion into the economy.
Commercial & General engaged with specialist consultants from Australia, Europe and the US to ensure the bunker’s construction met the specific tolerances required of proton therapy technology, including radiation shielding and vibration minimisation.
“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, Commercial & General executive chair.
