South Australian Sports Centre (SASI)

As South Australia’s premier sporting institution, the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) has a long history of training top-tier athletes. With the construction of the new SASI Headquarters, this legacy will reach even greater heights.

Designed by Cox Architecture, and managed by Hansen Yuncken, the project has set new benchmarks for sustainability and innovation in sports infrastructure.

The project’s scope included the construction of 1,300m2 of strength and conditioning gyms, two recovery pools, two saunas, and a FIBA-rated basketball court—each element designed with the athlete’s peak performance in mind.

Two world-class environmental chambers were also included within the facilities design. These areas can simulate different altitudes, humidity, and temperatures to mimic varied training environments. The inclusion of the chambers was integral to the facility’s mission of developing elite athletes capable of competing on the global stage.

One of the most innovative features of the new SASI HQ is the ‘Movement Studio’. This immersive exercise space, outfitted with cutting-edge AV technology, allows athletes to be filmed during training sessions.

Coaches and trainers can then analyse the footage, providing immediate, data-driven feedback to enhance performance.
The studio’s two large LED screens and projectors can create an immersive environment tailored to the specific needs of the athlete and the sport they are practising. This unique integration of technology and sports science is a hallmark of Hansen Yuncken’s commitment to delivering world-class facilities.

“This was a complex project that required input from both end-user groups to ensure that the finer day-to-day details were constructed as they required,” said Ricky Emili, Project Coordinator at Hansen Yuncken. The collaborative relationship with the design team was crucial in meeting the tight deadlines.“Being able to make quick decisions was imperative to the project’s success,” added Emili.

The site’s location next to a live athletics stadium posed some logistical challenges, with school children and parents frequently moving through the adjacent car park. This required careful planning to ensure safety and minimise disruptions to both site activities and the neighbouring facilities.

The construction phase included unique challenges, with early discovery of soil contamination requiring adjustments to in-ground work. Hansen Yuncken collaborated closely with environmental specialists to manage the situation effectively, ensuring the surrounding environment remained undisturbed.

The site’s technical requirements necessitated several cutting-edge construction techniques to meet both structural demands and project timelines. One key approach involved suspending all pipework beneath the ground-floor slab using stainless steel rods positioned at precise 300mm intervals. This method ensured optimal alignment, stability, and ease of access for future maintenance, while preserving critical under-floor space for other systems.

To streamline the project, Hansen Yuncken opted to prefabricate the mechanical fan coil units off-site, to ensure a high level of quality control, as well as to significantly reduced the installation time on-site. Likewise, the ambitious solution of lifting the pre-assembled steel central heart stairs into place through an opening in the roof with the use of a crane saved important time on the project and resulted in its timely completion.

Hansen Yuncken’s has a commitment to sustainability, resulted in SASI achieving a 5 Star Green Star rating, with the facility incorporating numerous environmentally sustainable elements. Notably, the entire concrete structure was built using carbon-neutral concrete. “This was a significant move towards reducing the facility’s carbon footprint without compromising on the structural integrity of the building,” said Emili.

“It has been a privilege to construct the new headquarters for SASI and to see the uplift in spaces that South Australia’s best athletes will now be able to train in,” said Emili.

For more information, contact Hansen Yuncken, 1/191 Fullarton Road, Dulwich SA 5065, phone 08 8229 7300, email adelaide@hansenyuncken.com.au, website www.hansenyuncken.com.au