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AGT Southern Crop Breeding Centre, Roseworthy, South Australia Work Building, Australian Modern Architecture Images

The Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) Southern Crop Breeding Centre is a specialist primary industry research facility. It is one of the largest, most advanced and well-equipped crop breeding centres in the world.

A hot-bed of technology, talent innovation and scientific breakthroughs AGT’s dedicated team use new mechanical solutions, robotics, computer science, GPS, tissue culture, and the latest biological theory on a daily basis. Excited by the process of seeing scientific concepts transformed into real solutions, the AGT Centre is more than a landmark, image or icon, it is the product of dialogue between scientists, farmers, business people, the regional community.

How does the design encourage this dialogue? The Architectural response is something different, innovative and unexpected. Likened to a merger between a cellar door, rural head office and research laboratory. The company’s unique teamwork model, its rural workplace culture and the desire for a relaxed yet professional work environment, created opportunities for architectural moments of discovery, surprise, joy, and tranquility – creating an attractive workplace and a memorable place for for staff and clients to conduct their business.

What were the key design moves? The architectural significance of the project is defined by the resolution and reduction of the highly complicated spatial program into a simple composition of form, space and order that maintains a high level of integrity.

The complicated spatial program includes 6600m2 of co-joined administrative and specialised work facilities including a dough rheology laboratory, temperature-controlled robotic seed storage carousel towers, cool storage facilities, workshop, harvester shedding, greenhouses and a controlled environment research facility.

Single level facilities are clustered around a central core containing reception point, general work, administrative and tea room spaces, creating a practical and highly efficient functional layout and circulation pattern. Cranking the main building form around the centre’s key circulation node defines a highly legible and welcoming public reception and gallery (education) space.

A patterned copper-coloured perforated operable screen wall (inspired by the pattern of harvesters in wheat fields) veils the north and north-western aspects of the main building from harsh solar conditions, significantly improving the buildings energy performance as well as preserving sight lines and vistas through the interior to the sites rural setting.

The form, scale and materiality of each building was influenced in equal measures by the opportunity to make natural light and ventilation ubiquitous and by the requirement to make each space as practical and efficient as possible.

Open space flows freely through the interior spaces following well defined circulation patterns. A practical, efficient and professional ambience is created through an open plan layout, legible wayfinding, an abundance of natural lighting and ventilation, and an uncomplicated materials palette.

Design: Ashley Halliday Architects – https://ashleyhalliday.com/ Project size: 6600 sqm Project Budget: AUD 20,000,000.00 Completion date: 2018 Building levels: 1

AGT Southern Crop Breeding Centre, Roseworthy images / information received 050622 from Ashley Halliday Architects

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