A topping out ceremony has been held to mark a key milestone in the build of a new medical and dental centre at Leuchars Station in Fife.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which is managing the build on behalf of the British Army, contracted the £22 million facility to Graham Building North, with construction starting last October.
The building will replace the current medical and dental centre, which was built in 1936. At present, around 3,700 personnel at the British Army establishment and their dependents are tipped to benefit from the new building, which will house physical rehabilitation and mental health facilities as well as GP and dental services.
Leuchars Station is to become the Army’s hub in Scotland and the new building has been designed to cater for increases in personnel due to this change.
Sustainability features include solar panels, air source heat pumps, and four electric vehicle charging stations. Building materials are also said to have been selected on the basis of suitability and also to reduce carbon impact on the environment. It is hoped the facility can be an example of sustainability in construction of future MOD medical and dental centres.
Shaun Purdy, DIO’s project manager, said, “Reaching this milestone, with completion of the structure, means it’s easy for both the medical staff and other personnel at Leuchars to see the scale of this new facility and how well-suited it will be for their needs. Our focus now moves to the interior of the building as we look forward to the completion of the building in the coming months.”
Chris MacLeod, Graham Building North’s regional director, added, “Our team have been working diligently to deliver this medical and dental facility for our longstanding client, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. With the frame completed, we can now visualise this sustainable, state of the art building and the services it will provide for the military personnel and their families at Leuchars and in the wider region.”
Attention will now turn to interior works. Once the replacement facility is complete, medical personnel and patients will transition over to the new centre and Graham will demolish the old building.
