Construction starts at Flinders health and medical research building

Defying financial pressure from Covid-19 restrictions, Flinders University has given the green light for construction to start on a $255m flagship research centre.

Hardhats and steelcaps will be worn at uni this week as work starts on the flagship of the $1.5bn Flinders Village plan.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held today for the 10-storey Health and Medical Research Building, the jewel of the $1.5bn Flinders Village development.

Vice-chancellor Colin Stirling said the start of construction was the culmination of several years of detailed planning.

“I am proud to say that Flinders University has continued to thrive even through these most difficult of circumstances created by the pandemic,” he said.

“We are emerging from the crisis stronger than before with exceptional student outcomes and with our research performance showing exceptionally strong growth.”

The building will house more than 650 workers, including researchers in medicine, public health, nursing and health sciences. They will explore infection and immunity, mental health, pharmacology, cancer, health delivery and other fields.

There will be wet and dry laboratories and bioplatforms for genomics, robotics, mass spectrometry, insectary and other life science avenues.

The project will support 750 construction jobs, with a target of 2024 for the building to be operational. The project is underpinned by the state government allowing a portion of the university’s campus to become freehold land, attracting private investment to fund the building.

An artist's impression of the Flinders University Health and Medical Research Building designed by Architectus.

Flinders University-vice-chancellor Colin Stirling.

A consortium led by Tetris Capital, with Amber Infrastructure, International Public Partnerships and National Australia Bank will pay for the building, with construction by Hansen Yuncken and design by Architectus.

Flinders will cover the fit-out and lease the building for 25 years, after which it will take ownership.

The project will have high sustainability objectives, including being all-electric other than laboratory gases.

Flinders has a strong partnership with Indigenous people and the colour palette for the building has been created in consultation with the Kaurna people, especially elder-in-residence Lewis Yarluburka O’Brien.

Artist impression. Picture supplied by Flinders University.

Artist impression supplied by Flinders University.

Symbolically highlighting the partnership, bush medicine seeds and seedlings will be planted during today’ ceremony.

The plants would be the nucleus of an indigenous garden “that will be a cultural focal point of the final development,” Professor Stirling said. A major research strand will concentrate on health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.

The building would advance Flinders’ vision to be known as one of the most innovative campuses in the world, Professor Stirling said.

“It’s doubly important as it marks the first development at the heart of what will become Flinders Village, a vibrant health, medical research, education and lifestyle precinct built around the new Flinders rail station,” he said.

The village will grow to include student accommodation, retail, recreation, entertainment, aged care and retirement living.