SAHMRI [Explored June 30 #203]

I've wanted to photograph this building for over 18 months. I had planned to photograph it when I moved to WA, but didn't get the opportunity. I think that in some ways it was meant to be, as I have my new 19mm Tilt/Shift lens and it was perfect for this building.

 

About the building

 

ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD)

 

The SAHMRI building is a flexible, adaptable, healthy and sustainable facility. It responds to its surrounding environmental conditions to ensure a comfortable internal working environment and to minimise the use of energy. As a result, our facility has earned a gold rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

 

ESD highlights of the facility include:

 

an energy efficient Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system providing a comfortable indoor environment to each work zone, with high levels of outdoor air supply

a water efficient design, including rainwater harvesting and the reuse of processed water

an intelligent integrated building system to provide real time measurement of energy and water consumption of the building

minimised car parking due to excellent links with public transport and close proximity to Adelaide’s city centre

landscaping and public plaza space designed to minimise the heat island effect

a site specific Environmental Management Plan – with a construction waste recycling target of at least 80%

 

DESIGNED BY WOODS BAGOT

 

Project architects Woods Bagot say the key to the success of SAHMRI is its central proposition: a new and liberating lab typology that promotes collaboration and medical discovery, attracting the best researchers from around the world. The built form of the SAHMRI acknowledges its sense of place within the green belt of the Adelaide parklands, seamlessly interacting with its surroundings, including Adelaide’s public transport, cycling and walking networks.

 

The architecture is lifted, creating an open ground plane in an integrated landscape, opening the building to the public as well as users, allowing for greater activation and porosity through the site. Its forecourt, adjacent to the new hospital, encourages interaction and exchange by staff, visitors and the general public. Derived from its unique site geometry and the need to create a forecourt entry adjacent to the new hospital to the west, the SAHMRI’s sculptural, iconic form is characterised by a striking transparent facade that unifies the organic diamond-shaped plan while showcasing the two atria inside the building. Inspired by the skin of a pine cone, the building’s unique triangulated dia-grid facade responds to its environment like a living organism, acting as an articulated sunshade that deals with sunlight, heat load, glare, and wind deflection, while maintaining views and daylight.

Done