HDR to Deliver First-in-Australia Biomedical Facility for The University of Sydney

HDR and architectural partners Denton Corker Marshall, in collaboration with Arcadia Landscape Architecture and Aileen Sage, have won the design competition for the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator, a 36,000 square meter health, research and education facility that is set to create an Australian benchmark for the integration of world-leading biomedical science with clinical research and innovation.

Set to be the largest biomedical building in Australia, the co-funded partnership project between the NSW Government, Sydney Local Health District and The University of Sydney will deliver a first-in-Australia facility equipped with a range of laboratory research facilities and clinical learning spaces. The investment represents the largest ever capital investment, a landmark AU$478 million, to build a nation-leading biomedical precinct to fast-track research and patient care in New South Wales. Early works for the SBA will commence this year and initial occupation is expected to occur from 2026.    

Alongside DCM’s seven-story circular spine ‘Connector,’ HDR has designed a range of education and laboratory research facilities, specialist core laboratories and technical support spaces that bring together multidisciplinary teams and integrate fundamental research at the molecular and cellular level with patient-centered research and health outcomes.

The design competition jury commended “the massing and materiality of the upper level ‘floating’ laboratories over a sandstone-like base … and the internal functional planning including flexibility in lab design and adjacencies, and efficiencies in laboratory spaces.” 

“By pairing our local and global scientific expertise, we have a unique opportunity to design and deliver a series of state-of-the-art, highly adaptable biomedical laboratories where education, healthcare, engineering and science converge, ultimately enabling SLHD and University of Sydney to succeed in biomedical research,” said HDR's Director of Education + Science, Graeme Spencer in Australia.

“Laboratories are one of one the most programmatically complex and diverse environments to plan, design and engineer, but using advanced design technologies and our data-driven process we have conceived a flexible and efficient design that will cultivate knowledge transfer between biomedical research talent, support robust creativity and collaboration, and enable the acceleration of the biomedical process — from research through to development and commercialization.” 

“The interconnectivity of the architectural design is the perfect realization of the close relationship of our partnership and the possibilities for seamless knowledge transfer and communication between the hospital and University,” stated Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydney in a joint statement. 

About HDR
For over a century, HDR has partnered with clients to shape communities and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Our expertise spans more than 11,000 employees in more than 200 locations around the world — and counting. Our engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services bring an impressive breadth of knowledge to every project. Our optimistic approach to finding innovative solutions defined our past and drives our future.