DPR Construction celebrated the placement of the final beams on the highly anticipated Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Coastal Regional Crime Lab today.

Once complete, the new center will allow investigators to examine projectiles, drugs and biological samples from crime scenes in 23 Georgia counties, and provide forensic biology services for another seven counties in the state. It will replace the current lab facility on Savannah’s Southside that is more than 30 years old.

The new facility will stand three stories tall and will be able to house up to 60 employees. The new crime lab is expected to be complete in the Spring of 2019.

“This is a terrific day for us to commend our partners and everyone involved in bringing this much anticipated facility to life,” said Deborah Anderson-Purcell, chief of facilities and support operations for the GBI. “DPR’s extensive knowledge of the area and the topography of coastal land we are building on has resulted in successful execution of the project to date.”

DPR has worked with more than 20 local trade partners and collectively put in more than 22,000 man-hours to reach today’s “topping out” milestone.

“At DPR, we exist to build great things. Collaboration is in our DNA; we know that to deliver the best project we need to work with the very best local trade partners. Today is about celebrating their collective effort,” said DPR's Darryl Strunk. Strunk estimates that at project completion, more than 40 local trade partners will have participated in the project.

The new crime lab will include a three-story laboratory and medical examiner’s office. Because of the sensitive nature of the equipment the facility will house, DPR has utilized the latest BIM technology to model all the components of the building while at the same time implementing lean construction practices throughout the entire construction process.