Contractor, Bouygues UK, has marked the completion of the concrete structure of a new centre for advancing eye health in St Pancras with a traditional topping-out ceremony.

The new centre, with the project name ‘Oriel’, is a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Moorfields Eye Charity.

Due to open in 2027, it will bring clinicians from the hospital’s City Road site and scientists under one roof for the first time.

Dedicated education space located throughout the building will offer collaborative environments for knowledge sharing and an enhanced space for students to learn from world leaders in ophthalmology and vision science.

The centre has been co-designed by staff and patients to ensure it offers ‘an inclusive environment where innovative research will flourish, staff will thrive, and patients will experience an enhanced seamless patient experience’.

The centre will also be the first NHS digitally-enabled SMART hospital in which technology will play a pivotal role in how people use the building.

An ‘innovation hub’ will be located in the heart of the new centre to encourage collaboration, intended to be ‘a catalyst for interaction, dissemination of knowledge, and cross-fertilisation of ideas and concepts between clinicians and researchers at the forefront of translational ophthalmic science, especially in the digital domain’.

The building design has created standardised scientific wet lab ‘neighbourhoods’, where each research group will have access to specialist tissue cell laboratories, genomic research, and cellular and molecular imaging.

The development, sited in the heart of the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter, has been funded by proceeds from the sale of the current sites near Old Street, £100m from donors to Moorfields Eye Charity and UCL Advancement, and £110m from the Department of Health and Social Care through the first wave in the New Hospital Programme (NHP).

Fabienne Viala, chairman and chief executive of Bouygues UK, said: “I’m thrilled to celebrate the topping out of this incredible project.

“The progress we’ve made truly showcases the power of our collaboration and shared vision.”

Natalie Forrest, senior responsible owner of the New Hospital Programme, added: “It is incredible to see how much progress has been made and wonderful to see the structure reach its full height.

“We are thrilled the new centre for eye care, research, and education has moved forward as part of the New Hospital Programme, which marks a step change in how we design and build new hospital facilities.

“This incredible state-of-the-art centre will transform eye care and health for people worldwide.”