The SAHMRI building is a flexible, adaptable, healthy and sustainable facility. It responds to the surrounding environmental conditions to ensure a comfortable internal working environment and minimize energy use. As a result, our factory won the Gold Award for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It looks like it is traveling in a spaceship. It is Adelaide’s South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI Building for short), designed by construction company Woods Bagot, and opened in November last year.
It’s just a building, but its impact on Australian architecture can be significant. If the building’s environmental sustainability performance lives up to its promise, it will make a significant contribution to sustainable design. And, if its architects hope that an interdisciplinary research culture is created inside the building, designers, scientists and scholars will be interested not only in Australia, but also internationally.
Under one roof
The SAHMRI building on the North Terrace is not intended to fit into Adelaide’s skyline, but a floating object. The building was suspended, creating a partially open ground in the overall landscape, which is open to the public and users. The 25,000-square-meter facility is adjacent to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and shares the front yard entrance. The institute will conduct interdisciplinary collaborative research with three universities in South Australia and the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, the first step in a new field of health and biomedicine. The second SAHMRI research building (proposed) and two multi-level medical research and training facilities owned by the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide will create the largest health and biomedical research area in the Southern Hemisphere.
South Australian researchers working there will also collaborate with other organizations, including CSIRO and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. There are many advantages to integrating multiple research areas, including sharing the cost of expensive technology, state-of-the-art laboratories, and improving the sharing of research technology and results. Thousands of employees will be employed in the healthcare and biomedical fields, and their presence will boost the city’s economy and vitality, further transform Adelaide’s West End and increase its social and economic sustainability.
Destroy aesthetics
The building is characterised and takes full advantage of its location on the north terrace. Its exterior is wrapped with diamond-shaped appearance elements. The triangular grid exterior wall covers the entire surface and responds to daylight, heat load, glare and wind while maintaining visibility and daylight. The first impression is that the structure and number of floors of the building are difficult to identify. Who knew that discbling might be the ideal theme for 21st century research institutions?
Undoubtedly, the object’s sculptural quality and unusual envelope are its most striking features and are applicable to all innovation-related facilities. The complex façade structure is a combination of a steel partition wall sub-frame, an external aluminum kit, a double-glazed triangular panel, a woven mesh panel, and a solid aluminum-filled panel with holes. The glass skin includes 6,300 triangular glass panels. The steel structure steel grid spans up to 40 meters, has no additional support, and has less energy than the aluminum structure. Sun shades are designed and oriented to achieve the best thermal and light efficiency (and also reduce heat load and glare), and for this reason the size will vary, making it almost impossible to accurately record the size of the building.
Building conceptual design
An interesting shell always surrounds sculptures, surfaces and objects. But the building is mainly about creating space, and the building is also inspiring internally. In fact, it only shows up when you enter the house, starting with two large daylight-lit atriums. The enclosed laboratory support space is located on the west facade to protect from the harsh afternoon sun. The architect suggested that glass partitions, open atriums and bridges, as the visual connection between the floor and interconnected spiral staircases would encourage connectivity and collaboration among researchers working here. (Although the motivation is laudable, crossing traditional boundaries that sometimes hinder the research community will require more than just spiral staircases).
The laboratory building uses energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and provides a large amount of outdoor air (which is still rare in laboratories), minimizing energy use; fresh air passes through the cooler plaza gardens And a labyrinth air inlet to cool the air naturally. Other features include rainwater collection and reuse of treated water; intelligent integrated building systems can improve energy efficiency and provide information on operational measures in real time, such as energy and water consumption (e.g. without drinking water) (e.g. cooling towers or toilets) Do not use drinking water when flushing). The operating cost of such equipment in 20 years can easily be higher than the initial construction cost, so it is hoped that the design will save energy and money over time.
Where is the future of architecture
In keeping with South Australia’s gradual reform history, Adelaide frequently leads Australia’s implementation of environmental sustainability initiatives. To address some of the environmental challenges facing the city, the working principle of the SAHMRI building can guide Adelaide’s sustainable development trajectory over the next ten years and provide examples for other cities to follow.
According to the South Australian Environmental Protection Agency, compared to the world average and other OECD countries, South Australia has higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions and emissions per unit of gross national product. The main factors contributing to this situation are population growth, energy-intensive transportation, and air conditioning in commercial and residential buildings. Adelaide is moving towards becoming an ecologically sustainable city, but to achieve this, Adelaide needs better green buildings and low-carbon areas. Perhaps architects in this and other cities can seek inspiration from the SAHMRI building.
https://theconversation.com/adelaides-sahmri-building-offers-a-glimpse-of-a-greener-future-21877