Healthy step forward

Images of $50m Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre on show

l CAIRNS NORTH

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Nick Dalton

DIGITAL images of James Cook University’s new $50 million Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre (CTEC) have been released as sub-contractors are being selected for stage one early works.

JCU vice chancellor Simon Biggs said the images showed a striking four-storey building featuring engineeredtimber construction, reflecting CTEC’s place in tropical Cairns.

He said designed by Wilson Architects, in collaboration with local firm Clark and Prince Architects, the building would house a multi-disciplinary clinic on the ground floor. Clinicians and teachers in medicine and allied health will operate the clinic, alongside students in those disciplines, and doctors studying to be specialist general practitioners.

“The building will also provide facilities for clinical skills training, as well as teaching and research in medicine, nursing, allied health and a broad range of related disciplines,” Professor Biggs said.

CTEC will be alongside Cairns Hospital’s new 32-bed surgical centre on Charles St, Cairns North, as part of the Far North Queensland Health Innovation Precinct.

“This will be a game-changing building,” Prof Biggs said.

“CTEC brings together clinical teaching and service delivery, training and research in medicine, allied health and related disciplines – all aligned to the needs of this region and its health workforce,” he said.

“The building is designed