A major milestone in a development project for The University of Exeter has been marked with a topping out ceremony.

The University and partners including contractor BAM Construction held an event to mark the development of the highest aspect of the new building at 40 metres.

The new £52.5 million Living Systems Institute development will seek to find new approaches in understanding and diagnosing disease.

The 7,500m2 building will span nine storeys, with 250 builders on site at its peak.

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Material totalling 10,000m3 has been excavated from the site along with 5,700m2 of concrete poured and 100,000 bricks laid.

With tower cranes positioned 140 metres above sea level, the facility's design is using the latest computer aided design and manufacturing processes to guide the building project.

The final building will house laboratories, seminar space, office and flexible research and teaching space.

Graham Kingdon, BAM's Construction Director, said: "We are delighted to be leading the design and construction of another world class research facility here at the University of Exeter.

"It’s a major investment for the University, for the city and for higher education in the UK, which will make a real difference to future generations."

(LM)