HMRB UPDATE
APRIL 2023
Welcome to the April update for Flinders University’s
Health and Medical Research Building (HMRB).
In this issue we’ll provide an update on construction progress, a Ministerial visit, and share stories about some of the inspirational women involved in the HMRB project,
The centrepiece of the Flinders Village development, the Health and Medical Research Building (HMRB) will be an outstanding biomedical research facility for Southern Adelaide. Providing a catalyst for investment in the South, HMRB is creating 750 construction-related jobs over 2.5 years and, once complete, will be part of a 20,000 strong employment hub and the base for approximately 600 people.
With a focus on collaboration, HMRB will bring together researchers, healthcare and industry partners to translate world-class research into better outcomes for our community. HMRB is Flinders University's investment in future healthcare that will change lives and change the world.
Construction Update
Over the last three months, a transformation has taken place on site. HMRB has reached the stage where the building's final form is starting to emerge from its scaffold exoskeleton. From most angles, the lower floors are now clearly visible, and the lift cores no longer stand out as the building has reached its full height.
Concrete pours have been completed for all ten floors - a great milestone! Construction is now underway on the steel frame for the plant room (which will house air conditioning services and other mechanical equipment) on Level 10.
First fix fitout - where internal walls, ceilings, flooring, power and other essentials are put in place - is underway up to Level 7 and ceilings have been installed to Level 3. The first inspection of the facility by the independent laboratory advisor has also taken place for the Level 2 support spaces and Level 4 laboratories.
Roadworks along University Drive have continued through the new year. As always, a huge thank you to our very patient neighbours across the hospital and university precinct!
In other news, the last structural beam has been laid ahead of the topping out ceremony. We'll be marking this significant milestone with an event soon, and we're looking forward to sharing the details with you in our next update.
Finally, the first façade panels have been installed up to Level 3, with completion due in August. The beautiful images below show the progress, and highlight the Kaurna Kuri design by artist James Tylor. It's getting easier to see how eye-catching HMRB will be once its finished; it will be a truly striking as our newest entrance to Flinders.
Minister Picton visits HMRB
On Wednesday 15 March, we were delighted to welcome the SA Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Chris Picton MP, for a sneak peek at HMRB. It was a great opportunity to share what HMRB and its researchers will achieve in the coming years with this notable alum.
While we're deep in the construction process, Minister Picton's visit was also a reminder of HMRB's value to South Australia. In addition to its role as the first building in the landmark Flinders Village development, the $255m project is responsible for 750 construction jobs over 2.5 years and will be a workplace for around 600 staff.
But more importantly - and what is most relevant to Minister Picton - is the lifechanging research that HMRB will support as part of southern Adelaide's health and medical research hub.
Its combined social and economic impacts make it a gamechanger for Flinders, and for our state.
We hope this is the first tour of many and that we'll be welcoming the Minister back to campus soon.
Women of HMRB
As the saying goes, behind every amazing building is a group of determined women...
With the celebration of International Women's Day on Wednesday 8 March, over 40 women came together to share morning tea and recognise their work across all aspects of the project. Attendees included Flinders staff from Properties, Facilities and Development, College of Medicine and Public Health, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, and the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Engagement, joined by women from project builders Hansen Yuncken, architecture and design firm Architectus, and engineers WGA.
In fields that are stereotypically male, from construction to research, and project management to architecture and design, it was a wonderful opportunity to see how HRMB reflects these changing trends and hard-won progress.
It was also a great chance to put faces to some of the names we all work with frequently but rarely get to see in person, and to connect with others from different areas, businesses and sectors. And of course to celebrate the progress on this beautiful building!
A particular thank you to the three Flinders University Council Members who braved the rain to join us and show their support: Ms Elizabeth Perry AM (Deputy Chancellor), Ms Sharon Wilson, and Associate Professor Amanda Muller. Thank you also to Jayne Flaherty, Chief of Staff, who welcomed all attendees on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor.
Dr Alyce Martin, Research Fellow, College of Medicine and Public Health
When it comes to HMRB, Dr Alyce Martin has a gut feeling it’s going to be great (pardon the pun).
As Group Leader of the Gut Hormones in Health and Disease Lab (the A. Martin Gut Lab), and ARC DECRA Fellow within FHMRI, Alyce and her team will be relocating to HMRB next year.
It was in her Honours year at Flinders that Alyce became interested in the field of obesity and diabetes research, which evolved into a passion for gut health during her PhD. As Alyce says, our gut is a vital organ and shapes our health in so many ways – but we know relatively little about it.
Alyce’s work is focussed on understanding how our diet and gut bacteria can influence our gut function, weight and glucose levels, which they can do by communicating with the hormone-producing cells lining our gut surface. Knowing what happens when this communication goes awry means we would have the potential to help the huge number of individuals with conditions like Coeliac disease, IBS, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.
You can’t really beat the feeling of walking into the foyer of a shiny new research building for the start of the working day and have so much optimism that today you’re going to kick some serious science goals.
Apart from the motivation boost you get from a new lab, Alyce believes HMRB will make collaboration with other teams easier and create a cohesive institute of researchers who are all striving for excellence in everything they do. She sees the Red Hub research student lounge in particular as a really important part of this community feeling, as a space where early-career researchers can connect and engage with each other.
And Alyce’s advice for budding scientists on International Women’s Day? Always pursue what makes you excited and remember what drives you. Keep your mind open to new ideas and opportunities, because you never know where they might take you. It’s okay to stop and take a breath – an academic career is a joy and a privilege, but it’s also hard work. And finally, don’t be afraid to ask for advice or for help on what should come next or what to do.
Alana Marks, Project Manager, Hansen Yuncken
While many might expect to find men behind the hard hats and high-vis on the HMRB construction site, that’s far from reality.
Alana Marks is one of the senior team members working for our partner Hansen Yuncken. In her role as Project Manager, she’s responsible for the fit out team who look after building services and internal finishes – that’s everything from power, water and air-conditioning to walls, ceilings, floors and more.
Alana came on board in late 2021, after HY were awarded the contract in May of that year. She was drawn to the project because of its complex nature – HMRB’s role as a research institute means its lab spaces need to meet very specific Australian and international standards before they can be certified for use.
As anyone who’s trying to renovate or build right now knows, securing contractors is a constant struggle. It’s one Alana is also facing, despite the size and scope of HMRB; the major project building boom across SA means a shortage of tradies across the state. It’s been a challenge but one Alana has enjoyed meeting, making sure plans are advanced enough to get the right tradies for the right jobs at the right time, so HMRB can stay on schedule.
Personally, I am looking forward to the completion of the external façade. It will be amazing to finally see the lasting visual impact HMRB will have on the built environment.
Like many of us, Alana is looking forward to seeing HMRB’s façade come together. And while she’ll appreciate its beauty, it also means something else: the building will be weathertight, which is a key milestone she can’t wait to reach because this allows the internal works to really get going.
On International Women’s Day, Alana’s advice to other women or girls considering jobs in construction is not to be put off by stereotypes of a male-dominated industry. HY in particular does a lot to support and encourage its female employees and create a culture that is welcoming and supportive for all – both men and women. So, she says, give it a go – working in construction is an amazing opportunity that offers new and exciting challenges each day.
Michelle Gheorghiu, Associate Director, Strategic Projects (HMRB & Flinders Village)
For Michelle, a building isn’t just concrete and steel – it’s about how it can change lives, and even the world.
As Associate Director, Strategic Projects at Flinders, Michelle is leading the delivery of the HMRB project, together with a strong interdisciplinary team. Taking the building from concept to concrete – so to speak – is just one of the many significant health and life-science projects Michelle has been involved in, and one of the most special.
Michelle was drawn to HMRB not just because of the project itself, but to Flinders’ longer term strategic plans for Flinders Village, which will become a globally renowned precinct known for its leadership in health, innovation, enterprise, education and lifestyle.
HMRB’s focus on exchanging knowledge and on collaboration and real-world impact is also something she holds close to her heart.
And it was also about giving back – using her experience and knowledge to contribute to a project that focusses on world-class research that will change, or even save, lives.
This passion has helped Michelle through the challenges posed by a post-COVID world, including changing supply chains and economic impacts. While facing these has required some creativity and a lot of determination, it means she’ll relish the finished building even more.
And does she have a part of HMRB she’s most looking forward to seeing completed?
I don’t have a favourite – that’s like asking someone if they have a favourite child! But seeing researchers come into HMRB for the first time, seeing their new facilities and knowing we are helping them to solve the challenges of the future: that’s what I can’t wait to see.
Michelle has also relished seeing more and more women enter the profession during her career. Her advice to others on International Women’s Day is to focus on being yourself and finding your passion. Don’t be afraid to unleash your creativity and form your own path. And think about what you can contribute or give back, no matter what that looks like for you, because career satisfaction is about more than success.
Timelapse March 2023
Support HMRB
HMRB is all about collaboration - between researchers, industry, healthcare professionals and the community. We know that when we come together for a common goal, we will can achieve great things and change lives.
That's why we're reaching out to our Flinders community – please join us to support the vital research that will take place within HMRB, so that our researchers can change lives and change the world.
If you were forwarded this email and would like to subscribe for further updates, please email HMRB@flinders.edu.au
