WAIMR Building is "Tops!"

July 18th, 2012

The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR's) 10 storey research hub in the north metropolitan area has officially "topped out" with the concrete pad now completed for the top floor of the building.

Steelworks for the plant room on the 10th floor are well underway.

"Topping out" is a major milestone for the building, and is traditionally celebrated by the construction workforce. It is a fine testament to Doric, its employees and sub-contractors, whose energy and skill has resulted in this important milestone being completed about a month ahead of programme on a very restrictive site in the middle of a working hospital," said WAIMR's Project Director, Trevor Dunn.

"All of us at WAIMR are excited about the progress of the building and of course we're also pleased that work so far has been completed safely."

Hames Sharley Executive Chairman, William Hames says to reach this milestone under challenging circumstances is a testament to the team work and WAIMR’s relentless support in achieving the vision that will make this one of the world’s leading research institutions.

"As the designers of this project, we are elated to have reached this important milestone and to see the development transform into what we can now see is the beginning of the overall vision of the facility," says Mr Hames.

"The hard work undertaken by Doric and other project team members together with the encouragement and support of WAIMR has made this a fantastic project to be part of and we can’t wait to see it progress further in the coming months."

Hames Sharley is one of Australia's leading national design practices and is currently the architects behind WAIMR's facilities on the QEII campus and the Fiona Stanley Hospital site. The practice is also currently involved in the design of seven important research institutions in Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Tasmania.

The next step in the construction process is to install glass facades on the north and south elevations of the building.

"The Façade design is quite sophisticated as the large areas of glass allow natural light to be viewed from the laboratory areas whilst preventing direct UV light into the laboratory space. The façade panels have been subjected to rigorous testing at an independent and internationally accredited testing facility in China," Mr Dunn said.

Representatives from Doric, WAIMR and the project team travelled to China in March to witness the testing of façade panels to beyond Australian Standard requirements.

The main internal stairway is to be installed into the central void this month. It is designed to bear a similarity to a DNA double helix from floor to floor, with landings and break out space on each floor to facilitate the best opportunity for collaboration between researchers.

The auditorium, on the western side of the building, which has been funded by the McCusker Charitable Foundation, is also underway. WAIMR plans to hold seminars and conferences in the comfortable theatre style room which will also be available for hire to outside organisations.

The auditorium break-out space and main lobby is planned to accommodate digital panels designed to display the latest events in the building, together with large display installations for public interaction with an emphasis on research being undertaken in the building. Planned for Level 1 is a Community Resource area, theatrette, interactive educational displays, and a demonstration lab for upper secondary students.

"This area has been funded by Lotterywest and is intended to educate the public about advances in medical research and to encourage and attract more students to science and in particular medical research," said WAIMR Director, Professor Peter Klinken.

The 10 storey facility is on schedule to be completed in the second half of 2013.

In another development, work is now well underway at the Fiona Stanley Hosptial Campus for the construction of the WAIMR south Facility. The basement area is currently under construction with Brookfield Multiplex moving construction along at an impressive pace despite some inclement weather. This project is on track for completion by late 2013.

For more information please contact:

Carolyn Monaghan
Communications Manager
Mobile: 0448 021 932 (media enquiries only)
Office: (08) 9224 0377
Email: carolyn.monaghan@waimr.uwa.edu.au