Topping Off Ceremony Recognizes Major Milestone in Construction of Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

OMAHA, Neb. — A “topping off” ceremony was held recently at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center to mark the completion of the structural framework for all floors of the 10-story research tower and the 8-story patient care areas in the $323-million facility.

The 615,000-square-foot building is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017. It is one of the largest projects ever for the state of Nebraska and the largest for the University of Nebraska. It is estimated that the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center will provide 1,200 jobs at the medical center and 4,657 new jobs to the metro area. It will infuse $537 million annually into the economy. HDR is providing professional services including architecture, engineering, programming, concept development, graphic design and healthcare consulting. Kiewit is the construction manager/general contractor.

Nine different beams were raised during the ceremony. Over the past six months, the beams traveled more than 2,000 miles around the state with people signing the beams at such events as the Cattlemen’s Ball, the Ambassador of Hope Gala and the Nebraska Science Festival.

Speakers at the event included Dr. Gold, Morris, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. The event was attended by donors, legislators, state, city and county officials, as well as hundreds of UNMC/Nebraska Medicine employees. “This new building will bring researchers and clinicians closer than they have ever been and will lead to new discoveries in our approach to precision medicine in cancer care,” Dr. Cowan said. “We will have the best cancer center facility in the world, here in Omaha, in 2017.”