SOUTH AUSTRALIAN
HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Project Overview
The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) was built to ensure South Australia’s strong position in health and medical research into the future. The building has a world first fully integrated building system and was the first to integrate BIM as part of the design process.
It is designed to house up to 675 researchers in fully flexible laboratory spaces. Labs on level 5, 6 and 7 meet PC2 + QC2 lab standards. The animal house is also to PC2 + QC2 standards, with rooms that can be fumigated. Lab areas incorporate media preparation, cage washers, glass washers and autoclaves.
The nine (9) research modules consist of 33% dry and 67% wet laboratory spaces, a small vivarium and a cyclotron particle accelerator that is the first cyclotron in South Australia, constructed to a pharmaceutical production standard for isotope production used in medical imaging with hot and cold pharmacy suites to clean rooms class C&D.
Key Features
- Fully flexible laboratory spaces
for 675 researchers - Labs on level 5, 6 & 7 meet PC2
+ QC2 lab standards - Structurally unique transfer
structure using flower columns
featuring a Diagrid Facade structure - Multiple award winning AIB
& MBA local and national project
The Hindmarsh Difference
Apart from being Adelaide’s most iconic building of the future, SAHMRI transforms the western end of the CBD into a focal point for health and medical research, fostering innovation and service improvements leading to better health outcomes for the community. It also elevates Adelaide’s architectural credentials with the striking, pine cone skin facade putting SAHMRI on the map from a design and construction perspective.
The facade’s unique geometry is a combination of structural steel diagrid subframe with an external aluminium suite. It features high performance double glazed triangular panels, woven mesh panels, perforated and solid aluminium infill panels, while sunshades have been designed and orientated for optimum thermal and light efficiency.
Structurally the building has a unique transfer structure using flower columns, requiring significant technical complexity and allowable building tolerances, and is the first to use a Diagrid Facade structure.
