Adelaide's SAHMRI 'cheese grater' building brings out the best of Woods Bagot global cutting-edge outlook
The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) building on western North Terrace, Adelaide city.
Main image by Peter Barnes
The SAHMRI (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) building, opened at the western end of North Terrace, Adelaide city, in 2013, reflected the cutting-edge outlook and skill of Adelaide’s global architectural firm Woods Bagot.
The $200 million state government building, part of the North Terrace biomedical precinct, was home to nine modules for up to 700 researchers looking at innovation and improvements to health services. Although it had local nicknames such as the “cheese grater”, the SAHMRI building’s exterior surface was inspired by the pine cone.
Woods BagotAdelaide studio led the project with input from designers in its New York and Melbourne studios. Wood Bagot designed the triangulated diagrid “living skin” to make optimal passive use of sunlight. Building control systems had been integrated to provide real time measurement of energy and water consumption of the building. Such features saw SAHMRI win an international LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificate – a first for an Australian laboratory building.
SAHMRI’s sculptural qualities aimed to inspire and promote the building’s function. The transparent façade showcased two internal atriums. The building had a total floor area of 30,000 square metres, over nine storeys. The iconic triangular-panelled façade featured sunshades, designed and orientated for optimum thermal and light efficiency. Two internal atria with an interconnecting spiral staircase on the eastern atrium allowed a visual connection between floors.
Awards for the SAHMRI building started with the 2001 South Australia Architecture awards, presented by the Australian Institue of Architects. Woods Bagot received the Keith Neighbour Award for commercial achitecture, the Robert Dickson award for interior architecture, the Jack McConnell award for public architecture, the Derrick Kendrick award for sustainable architecture, and th Colorbond award for steel architecture.
In 2015, R&D Magazine gave SAHMRI buuilding the laboratory of the year award. SAHMRI was also a finalist in the Design and Health International Academy Awards for future projects and picked up an Australian Institute of Builders professional excellence award for $100 milllion-plus commercial projects.