Australian Centre for Sports Aerodynamics

In 2019, Hames Sharley won a competitive tender to deliver the Australian Centre for Sports Aerodynamics at the State Sports Park in Gepps Cross. To be built adjacent to the existing award-winning and architecturally-significant Adelaide Super-Drome, the project team aspired to create a dynamic form that not only reflected the purpose of the facility but the excitement that a unique facility of this kind brings to the precinct.

The unique brief offered significant challenges for the design team including the management of a number of stakeholders and potential end-users who envisioned differing outcomes for the project. In alignment with the design methodology, Hames Sharley facilitated a number of workshops to break down preconceived expectations, identify the problems to solve and distil the aims of the project brief. This was returned to the client in the form of an ‘engagement report’ and subsequently an ‘interior design look and feel package’ which outlined the five key project aspirations and design principles encapsulating how the client brief would be achieved.

Visitors to the facility will enter via a secure western entry before being welcomed into a bright, north-facing collaborative space, lounge and kitchenette opening onto an outdoor deck. Also included is a private office for onsite staff and unisex amenities that allows for the anticipated shift in users on a daily basis. With budget restraints putting pressure on the extent of staff/client facilities, the design team prioritised flexibility ensuring all spaces are multiple-purposed and adapt to the client group of the day.