The Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHId) has developed plans for a new build that will support the University’s investment in Thiel embalming and the expansion of our Centre. The University of Dundee has confirmed support of up to £1.5 million toward the first phase of this building which will be a new mortuary specifically designed for Thiel and will be the first in the UK. We are about to launch an ‘alternative’ fund raising programme for an additional £0.5M (more to be detailed later as the plans develop – but it involves the crime writer Val McDermid!) and then we will have the final push at fund raising as we try to realise our target of £10M for a completed new build. We know we are trying to do this in a horrendous economic climate – but CAHId simply loves a challenge.

Our intention is to run a diary on our progress and hopefully as we progress, the entries will get more and more frequent and more exciting. So here is our fist development. I know it looks like an oil well and we are not prospecting for black gold (maybe not a bad idea though) but this structure is drilling bore holes to determine the underlying soil and rock formation to make sure that it is suitable for our new build. They will only be in place for the next few days.

Our next step should be the production of final design plans as a team have been appointed (Wellwood Leslie Chartered Architects of Broughty Ferry). If all goes well, we hope to have the construction team in place by the end of this year and ready to put the first spade in the ground in January of next year.

18 December 2010. Works started on Thursday 9 December, and are currently scheduled to be completed by mid-February. The works, which are carried out by Land & Building Services, will consist of diverting services, widening the entrance to Miller's Wynd, relocating a generator, demolishing outbuildings, and a site scrape.