The sometimes harsh and often shifting Australian climate has strongly impacted the reliability of rain water as a source of drinking water in recent years. With a growing economy and population South Australia is faced with the challenge of developing and implementing alternative water supplies especially in times of drought.
GHD Woodhead provided the design of the winning bid for the Adelaide Desalination Plant by the Adelaide Aqua consortium.
The design team used an “integrated industrial design” approach to ensure that the desalination plant met the requirements of a significant work of public architecture by developing a consistent architectural language across the site complementing the
state-of-the-art water processing facility. The architectural and landscape design contributes significantly to the successful delivery of the project and the acceptance by the community of this alternative source of drinking water.
The “integrated industrial design” approach ensures that the related disciplines of master planning and architecture, landscape design, interior design and graphic and wayfinding design are integrated to provide a unified, cohesive and sustainable design which blends into and enhances the existing site.
This seamless architectural and landscape response minimises visual impacts from both close and long range views and builds on the intrinsic qualities of the natural coastline to provide a considered response to the environment and natural heritage of the site.
Located at Lonsdale, near Port Stanvac, the $1.824 billion AUD, 100 gigalitre per annum capacity desalination plant can deliver up to 100 billion litres of water each year contributing to half of Adelaide’s water supply.
