SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE BY WOODS BAGOT

The international firm completes the innovative research facility

Woods Bagot recently completed the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) in Adelaide, Australia. The structure provides space to house up to 700 researchers in nine laboratory modules. Each of the PC2-standard laboratory modules is fully flexible and can be used wet or dry. The building also houses a cyclotron and vivariums.

The unique external “skin” was inspired by the skin of pine cones. It adapts and responds to its environment by opening and closing as needed, turning the structure into a living element in its own right. The skin offers natural cooling while not entirely obscuring the view of the interior atriums.

Since the goal of the structure is to encourage collaboration between researchers, special attention was paid to creating interaction. Visibility joins the various floors of the building, while atriums, bridges and a spiral staircase connect the various parts to construct a whole.

The architects lifted the building to encourage the public to interact with the empty space. The entire structure is held up by only six “flower columns” that serve as the structural core and connect the building to the ground. This, in combination with the transparent glass, gives the impression that the building is floating.

The SAHRMI will be an innovative hub for medical research that promises to inspire the minds of those who work within.