FORT COLLINS, CO The Colorado State University Health and Medical Center held a topping out celebration to recognize the halfway point of construction with the placement of the final structural steel beam.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) and Bennett Wagner Grody Architects (BWG), as design-build partners, were selected to complete design and construction for the new $59 million facility on the Colorado State University (CSU) campus in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The ceremonial beam, signed by students, staff, faculty, donors and members of the construction and design teams, was hoisted into place at the facility's north entry the morning of the event. Around 100 people attended the ceremony at the job site on August 1.

"The big vision is to improve the health and the presence of health and well-being on our campus," said Anne Hudgens, executive director of CSU Health Network. "We're pioneering new ground with an opportunity to do something for campus and community health that's never been done before."

Sitting on the northwest corner of South College Avenue and West Prospect Road, the 156,000-square-foot, four-story building will stand as a prominent new gateway to the campus, while consolidating the University's health care services into one location.

The building, owned and operated by CSU, will house full medical, mental health and health education and prevention services for CSU students, provided by the CSU Student Health Network, which will occupy the entire second and third floors of the building. It also will include services for the public through agreements with UCHealth and Associates in Family Medicine, including a walk-in clinic and occupational health services for the community. A full-service pharmacy also will be open to the general public. In addition, the building will house the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, establishing collaborative research on aging and educational, community outreach programs.

"We are blessed at AP to be able to partner on a project like this for CSU," said Doug Johnson at the event. Johnson is a Vice President at AP and an alumnus of CSU whose parents also graduated from the institution and whose son will be attending in the fall. "Being able to come to CSU and build on the corner of College and Prospect means a great deal to me and my family."

The new medical center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017.